Samwise Didier discussed details of the artwork in Starcraft 2, explaining the art department tasks and process to achieve the Blizzard feeling on its games. (Read more.

Samwise: “First you need to understand that art isn’t finished until the game ships,” Didier continues. Apparently Blizzard goes through hundreds and sometimes thousands of artwork iterations before the design team is satisfied with it. Not only do they continually tweak the graphics to improve the artistic quality but they also work closely with the developers to make sure that the artwork always enhances and supports the gameplay rather than acts as a distraction. The result is the cartoony (though Blizzard artists chafe at the word) art style often associated with the company’s games.”