Among Us: Crewmate concept art shows what could have been

The crewmates in Among Us have become something of an easy internet meme, with their simple shapes and color palettes allowing for a lot more expression than what might be expected. Newly released concept arts for the possible other designs, however, show that the crewmates could have come in very different shapes and sizes.

Among Us, why simple designs work for the characters

There really is something to having a character with such simple designs. It allows nearly anyone to be able to draw the character and express themselves through it. It's been so cool to see this happening with the Among Us crewmates.

— Puff (@PuffballsUnited) October 7, 2020

It’s surprising the amount of characterization has been applied to the crewmate designs, despite them being little more than color changes on the same model. If you’ve heard that “red is suspicious” or that cyan is an agent of chaos then you’ve definitely heard of some of the stereotypes that come with a simple color.

Additionally, certain outfits always seem to go along with certain colors. For instance, Orange seems to enjoy wearing either an egg or a “DUM” note, while Green can almost always be seen with a leaf sprouting out of their head. White and Black both wear a captain’s uniform nicely.

Because the crewmate design is so simple, a small, bean-like figure with a pair of stubby legs and an oxygen tank, with an unseen face hidden behind a reflective visor, we are able to project our own feelings and ideas onto them with ease. There is nothing to suggest that our ideas are wrong, which lets them fit the mold quite easily.

Of course, a different, more expressive crewmate design would have likely changed how easily we were able to adopt the Among Us crew into meme-dom.

What could have been in Among Us

By the way, this is literally the only concept art of coming up with the crewmate design. We settled pretty fast. pic.twitter.com/D4n6wuveDC

— Puff (@PuffballsUnited) October 7, 2020

Alternate crewmate designs in Among Us don’t deviate that greatly from what was eventually settled on for the final product. Initial appearances would have had the crew be even smaller, to the point where it would be difficult to see them as anything more than a strange ball rolling around the ship.

Another design would have had them adopt a more angular appearance, complete with outstretched arms, one which likely would have inspired more humor than empathy. It would be much more difficult to take the crew seriously if, for instance, they were walking around with their arms in a T-pose the entire time.

The short, elongated figure we’ve come to recognize as iconic to Among Us was one of three early designs, and one which it seems fit perfectly. The only addition made was the inclusion of a pack on their back, something which probably helped give them a more defined purpose and shape.