Statecraft

Statecraft is a politically-themed board/card game for 2-6 players. The game's publisher Inside The Box Games (a small independent publisher in the UK) brought me on as the sole designer and illustrator for the project. Over the course of a couple months, I designed the game's branding, functional components, packaging and marketing visuals. After the game was successfully funded (with backers pledging £39,502 of the initial £8,500 goal), I did several hundred card illustrations and even more design work in preparation for the game's production and delivery.

The development process for Statecraft was incredibly fast paced, as the client had set an aggressive goal for the launch of the game's Kickstarter campaign. I worked with the client to create a timeline that would not only get them a working prototype in time for reviewers to play and review the game, but would also develop a cohesive brand for the game that could flow into all of it's many cards, packaging elements and the look of it's Kickstarter marketing.

For the game's art, I also worked with the client to develop a style with a diverse and international cast of characters and ideas. The game is meant to portray politics in an abstract and universal way (although some of the expansions deal with specific, real-life countries or politicians) so I had to find a way to make things fun, engaging and thought provoking, all without getting too specific to any one country or showing a bias towards any one political ideology. In the end, I employed bold and clear use of colors and symbology to create a sort of "alternate reality" that is flexible enough to be implemented over a range of expansions and themes; and is engaging, accessible and humorous for players of any political background.

In support of Statecraft's Kickstarter campaign, I developed a lot of visuals with info about the game and the various backer levels, stretch goals and add-on expansions. I made 3D mockups of game components and packaging and created a handful of gameplay diagrams to help explain the game to prospective players. I also got to design a cool insert for the game's box as well as the game rules, a 28 page document full of gameplay diagrams and illustration from the game's art.

Follow the link below to check out the Statecraft rulebook (designed my me, wahoo!).