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Bill Davis served as the creative director at Sierra On-Line, where he implemented several changes that impacted the industry’s approach to game design. These initiatives by Davis influenced Sierra's game design and contributed to setting new standards in the gaming industry, especially in the areas of game art and animation.

In July 1989, Bill Davis was appointed as the first creative director of Sierra On-Line. This appointment was influenced by Ken Williams' intention to capitalize on emerging technologies such as CD-ROM technology, multimedia advancements, and higher resolution displays. These technologies allowed Sierra to enhance the theatrical elements of their games, making them more comparable to animated or live-action films.

Davis introduced the use of storyboards, a common practice in film production, to the development process at Sierra. This technique helped to visualize and plan scenes and sequences, facilitating the creation of more narratively cohesive and visually engaging games.

https://www.sierragamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/008_Sierra_News_Magazine_Volume_3_Number_2_Summer_1990.pdf

Davis introduced traditional media such as painting and sculpting into Sierra's game design, moving away from the prevalent low-resolution digital creation methods. Under Davis, artists drew backgrounds and animations by hand before scanning them into games, achieving sharper, more realistic visuals. Davis introduced advanced animation techniques, such as rotoscoping and squash and stretch, to improve the realism and expressiveness of character movements in Sierra’s games.

Davis also recognized the need for more structured management of art in game production. In response, he established the role of Art Director at Sierra to oversee and unify the visual components of games, which aimed to maintain a consistent style across various projects. Additionally, Davis responded to the increasing demands for high-quality animation by outsourcing animation work to international studios, a practice adapted from traditional animation that was relatively new to video games.

He advocated for maintaining a consistent art style across different Sierra game series, marking a shift from previous practices where each game might have a distinct visual style. This approach aimed to strengthen Sierra’s brand identity through visual cohesion. Davis also sought to match specific artistic styles with the themes of different games. For example, Davis explored using cubism for Leisure Suit Larry to match the game's quirky nature. He persuaded creator Al Lowe to adopt a cartoonish style for Larry, enhancing the game's wild visual humor.