Banner, Badge, and Icon Guidelines
Overview
When someone mentions badges, they could be talking about one of two things:
- Achievement badges, which are user-created images associated with the individual achievements of a set.
- Sonic the Hedgehog's first achievement icon
- Sonic the Hedgehog's first achievement icon
- Game icons, also known as mastery badges, which is a single image used to represent an achievement set.
- Sonic the Hedgehog's first mastery icon
- Sonic the Hedgehog's first mastery icon
Badge Format and Sizes
- For best results, game icons and achievement badges should be in 32-bit non-interlaced PNG format.
- JPG and GIF are also supported.
- Avoid using transparency in the background layer since it will not display properly on the site and emulators.
- Achievement badges must be 64x64.
- Game icons must be 96x96.
- Badges should be made in a way that the subject is clear even when scaled down to 48x48 or 32x32, as they often are on various pages on the site.
Designing New Badges
Achievement badges should focus on certain goals:
- Achievement badges should refer in some way to what the achievement is about - i.e. a picture of the boss, level or collectible that the achievement requires the player to get to.
- Both the art and any font or writing in the badge should be clear and readable.
Designing New Game Icons
Game Mastery Icons must represent the associated game by using 'Official' art only.
- Sprites, models, renders from the game
- Region Specific Box Art
- Concept Art
- CD / OST Art
- Manual Art
- Guidebook Art
- Advertisements
- Or any other 'Official' Source of artwork.
- Any promotional art that has been released considerably after the release of the game (for example, OST art released 10 years later) requires Art Team approval to be used on an icon.
Mastery Icons must not
- Use art from a different port
- Use fan art sourced from external sources
- Use AI-generated artwork created from scratch
- Contain anything vulgar, offensive or pornographic
Mastery Icons may
- Add in custom borders or other adornments
- Stylize official art or combine different official art sources
- Use official art from a different regional release on the same console, unless that regional release has its own game page entry
- Use fan art created by the icon creator, but it must be approved by the art team prior to uploading or any icon gauntlet vote.
- Approval will take into consideration, at the discretion of Art Team, the quality of the art and its context within the game.
Exceptions
- If two different ports use the same key art, that art may be used for either port.
- Hacks - Most hacks use the same sprites from its source game. Other art that represents the game in a meaningful way may be used as long as it is not on the excluded list above (such as external fan art or AI-generated art). Art by the developer of the hack may also be used.
- Movie-Licensed/Movie Tie-In Games may use artwork that was used to promote the movie.
Game Page Banners
Banners are wide images used to represent games on certain pages of the site.
- Banners cannot go through a community gauntlet process, and can only be changed by authors that currently hold claim or have developed for that particular set, or by art team members.
- Banners must be 3000x900 (1920x540 minimum).
- Banners should ideally be designed and optimized for all Desktop, Mobile and Ultrawide views, according to the following representation:
All existing guidelines for game icons apply to banners as well, with the following additional restrictions:
Banners must not
- Include text of any kind (game logos are permitted as long as they do not contain text)
Credit Requirements
- If a banner is sourced from SteamGridDB, credit must be given to the "SteamGridDB" user.
Uploading Mastery Icons, Achievement Icons and Banners
Developers:
Achievement developers are allowed to add mastery badges freely for entries that do not have achievements nor a mastery badge. As a claimant for a set without achievements, developers are free to change the mastery icon, the achievement icons and the banner.
To change the set's media content, first go to the game page and click on "Manage":
Next, click on "Media":
On this page, you're able to change the mastery icon, the banner and the achievement icons for any achievements present on the set:
If a game already has a set, icon changes must go through the icon gauntlet revision process.
Non-Developers:
- Non-developers cannot upload banners nor push them through the icon gauntlet revision process. Non-developers can, however, communicate with developers of the set or Art Team members to possibly add a banner of their making to a game page, keeping in mind that the developer or Art Team member has the final say on if the banner will be added or not, and will not be beholden to a community vote.
- Non-developers must go through the "cleanup-requests" process on the Retroachievements official discord to upload mastery icons to iconless sets. For sets that already have a set and an icon, non-developers must go through the icon gauntlet revision process for either the mastery icon or any achievement icons that they may wish to change.
Badge Server Files
- Game icons are stored on the site in the following manner and place:
i.retroachievements.org/Images/000705.png. They are stored in the same server folder as other game images such as the game box and game screenshots. - Achievement badges are stored on site in the following manner and place:
i.retroachievements.org/Badge/00136.png; the number coincidences with the badge ID found in the Achievement.
AI-Generated Art Policy
Overview
AI-generated artwork created from scratch is prohibited for all game badges and achievement icons on RetroAchievements. This blanket policy promotes artwork quality and respect for the artistic community that supports the site.
Why This Policy Exists
- We have a dedicated team of artists willing to create artwork for game badges and achievement icons.
- Artists on RA receive incentives for completing art requests, similar to DevQuests.
- Video games are an inherently visual medium, and most games contain rich assets that can be creatively used for badges and icons.
Enforcement Process
If you believe art for game badges or achievement icons is AI-generated, you can send an on-site DM to RAArtTeam detailing your report.
If there are concerns that artwork may be AI-generated, RAArtTeam will reach out privately with whomever created the asset(s) to clarify the situation. This process is designed to be respectful and avoid public accusations.
RAArtTeam may ask questions such as:
- What was the source of this artwork?
- What editing tool did you use to create this image?
Reports of suspected AI-generated art in public channels will be addressed promptly to prevent harassment of developers or artists.