>>34660727I actually really liked Gen 5, which I will explain now.
One of the biggest design standards that, when taken into consideration and done well, makes me think "that's a perfect Fakemon" is how it lives in the world.
These environmental designs are what keep the idea of a Pokémon world so vivid. Gen 3 did this incredibly, with Lotad and Wingull just screaming living expression and habitatual existance. If people can tell how that Fakemon lives and survives in its habitat, it is a good Fakemon.
>could go on about how perfect of a design Wingull is but that's a different storyA Fakemon may just start from that very purpose. "This Fakemon lives in haunted houses" is a great start. Just think of the way it lives and breathes, because that can illustrate well into how it battles and its typing.
A bad Fakemon will be "Green because it's a grass type". A good Fakemon will be "Green because it's genetically better to photosynthesize, lives in deep jungles and hides from predators with camouflage"
So of course, its habitat reflects well into its colour palette. It is such an important part of animals and product design, it will be ridiculous to not consider it. Not all Pokémon that live in a jungle need to be green, they can be spotted brown or vibrant red, like real life, to match its purpose in its environment.
To get this right, Fakemon artists should study scenes in the anime or tcg that express the notion of "living with Pokémon".