#the foundation

Design Elements, Main Objectives

Design has four basic elements: Colour, Line, Shape, and Texture. In fashion, these elements are considered when creating clothes to communicate a "look" or message that they want to convey to the viewer.

For the Foundation, they have three objectives to represent in their uniform: Order, Balance, and Unity. We'll go through each element and how it achieves these objectives here.

Keep in mind that the Foundation is also heavily chess-themed, which will play a major role in the design choices of the uniforms. (This will be expanded later in regards to shapes)

Colour

The Foundation follows a monochrome palette, using black, white, and gray. Additionally, they use gold as a secondary color—a highlight.

It's a simple approach, the palette easily showcases balance, strength, power, and order. Gold adds a layer of prestige, and amplifies the themes of power.

Some characters that hold more significant roles (whether in story or in the organization), they'll use colors such as red, brown (i.e. the coats), green, and blue; they're often muted but noticeable. They hold some degree of symbolism too, but they're more personal to the characters themselves.

Line

Most if not all of the Foundation staff's uniforms are tailored to be straight. Straight linings, vertical lines, long jackets, etc. Sharp edges are also commonly seen, which make a more rigid but clean look.

All of these combined communicate order, strength, and resolve. The vertical lines also places emphasis on height, making the wearers seem taller and slimmer.

With these lines they also create pleats and crisscrosses. While pleats—found in masks and women's uniforms—are for sophistication, crisscrosses are found in laces. According to Ms. Moissan's description for her shoes, they indicate obedience.

Let's compare this to the SPDM uniforms. They primarily focus on using curved lines to present the students' soft innocence and youth.

Though, the lines are more highlighted in their undershirts as well as sharp cuffs in their sleeves and collars. They look more like angels or fledglings in that sense.

Shape

The uniforms uses geometric elements, primarily using squares, rectangles, and triangles. Squares and rectangles will represent strength and balance, and triangles addresses a hierarchy of power.

All of the characters' silhouettes will look imposing, stable, reliant, and strong. Razor here is a primary example. They can also express symmetry, but mainly with NPCs like Bernard and Pedra.

The brooch of the Foundation additionally possesses these 3 shapes. Despite it being difficult to discern what it exactly is, it's still recognizable.

Furthermore, the Foundation has two distinctive symbols that are integrated into their design, which are the checkered pattern and the stars. You'll see them on every Foundation member.

These two things are the trademark of the Foundation. It highlights themes of duality and guidance, so it can be said that the Foundation wants to serve to the people. It's similar to what I said two years prior, "The Foundation prides itself of being the beacon of balance between humans and arcanists."

This checkered pattern is also commonly associated with chess, and it's not the only feature that indicates it either. The Foundation uniforms tend to apply certain clothing choices that push that theme—from capes, pointed masks and round helmets, bishop sleeves, and even the occasional crown prints on collars. Overall, this chess theme easily captures the overall idea of the Foundation's system, hierarchy, ethics, and practices. That's where the uniform really sells on the objectives of their uniforms.

Texture

There isn't a lot to say about texture since this is still a digitally illustrated game, but it's still very much present! Given the rendering of the uniforms, they appear as very matte. This allows other accessories or materials to really stand out, such as metallic or polished surfaces (e.g. leather/rubber). The textures here mark down on professionalism and practicality while also ensuring the wearer's comfort, which fits all of the characters' line of work.

Reverse: 1999 mixes realistic painting techniques with the shapes and forms of the "anime" style, creating a semi-realistic art style that doesn't sacrifice its animated aspects (In other words, it doesn't take away the fact that it's still a gacha game lol). This element of design heavily benefits from it, with the art rendering allowing players to really see and feel the textures of the uniforms.

Afterthoughts

These uniforms are honestly an amazing refresher on fashion designs that are marketed in the gacha atmosphere, especially with fashion designs for in-game factions. The Foundation easily settles its uniforms as a very recognizable staple, even if our playable characters from that place wear garments that deviate from the standard. It's simple, straightforward, and realistic.

That's makes the characters feel very grounded; the Foundation staff look like people you would see in a corporate office every day, and that's thanks to their uniforms looking and feeling like actual clothes. This alone achieves the objectives mentioned earlier.

While I'm not a fashion student myself, design comes easy to creatives. There's more that can be said about these designs when you look at them in the lens of character design. I'll have some personal gripes, I'll have some personal favorites from these design choices.

But overall, the Foundation's fashion design does a good job at communicating its purpose through their characters. I hope that this and my earlier analysis can help people who want to analyze the Foundation's overall design or create Foundation-associated OCs.