The graphics for the new Food Expansion evolved a bit over time. The resource list grew a little, and some items were swapped as the design and mechanics evolved.
Pepper steak was removed and replaced with a hamburger to better represent a high end (lasagna) and low end food item.
The buildings had the biggest changes. The building on the left was the original lower tier of the fancy restaurant. Patrik though it should be extra fancy – so a courtyard, deck and roof deck were added (as you level up).
More greenery was added as were the cherry trees from the Olympic HQ to set it apart from the generic SimCompanies trees. Larger windows were added allowing for tables to be seen inside.
The bakery evolved from a consumer bakery to an industrial one. I adored the consumer bakery, and was a bit sad to have it change, but I kept the same donut box pink but toned it down with blues and greys to not be overwhelming on a larger building. Also in case you ever wondered why donut boxes are often pink – this is a fascinating history of the pink boxes.
The colors of the delivery trucks are inspired by Wonder Bread.
The catering buildings had the biggest changes. When I first read the description, I was thinking of a service that feeds events – weddings, parties, etc. Instead Patrik was thinking of what I would call a FoodService type of company. I took my beloved initial bakery and changed the colors and added food prep tables, ovens and refrigerators to the inside, as well as the delivery van waiting outside.
The other challenge with the Catering buildings is it needed to look different than the Kitchen, despite having similar equipment. For the Research building, I imagined a test kitchen with a garden full of vegetables and fresh herbs. The building itself was inspired by a solarium, full of light and sunshine.
This entire project was so much fun! I am bummed we weren’t able to keep the SVG images, they are so much crisper and allow players to zoom in and see tiny details, but unfortunately that created a conflict with people who play on older mobile devices. Maybe someday we’ll be able to go back to all SVGs.
The other challenge is so many buildings revolved around food prep and service. The Kitchen and Caterer needed to be different, yet feel like they could be in the same town.
Hope you enjoy the new graphics!
