Animal Crossing design tips from Jon Burgerman

There are few more intimidating sights than an empty pixel art grid once you've finally decided to bite the bullet and design your own Animal Crossing: New Horizons clothing. Who better to guide you through the process than none other than artist and graphic designer Jon Burgerman? Having already wrangled his own Animal Crossing designs, packed with his characterful doodle art style (not to mention his entire professional career), Burgerman has plenty of wisdom to dispense when it comes to filling that grid. 

Not only is the above video a perfect masterclass in designing for your island attire, it's also a great place to start if you’re looking for IRL design hints. Burgerman breaks down his creative process straight from his New York studio, and talks about the importance of, not just individual designs, but also positioning and choosing clothing to make the most of your work. 

He also discusses where to find inspiration when that creative block hits and outlines the thoughts behind some of his own designs and what makes them work so well. Burgerman's unique colourful style means his work transitions perfectly into pixel art, which is obviously essential for Animal Crossing. We hope you feel inspired.

If you'd like to get your hands on Jon's custom Animal Crossing designs, here are the codes for you to download in-game:

- Frog: MO-70T0-7PHH-84RL
- Hotdog: MO-D8K0-KMYF-HMS8
- Pattern: MO-3CRL-GNGX-4D7M
- Pizza: MO-JWMN-94YG-0RSM
- Spray: MO-19T5-8SFR-SDQN