My Game Board Box and Game Board Box Critique

This post discusses both the game box I designed for my board game and also 10 game box designs I think does a great job with the use of color, text, theme, illustration, or any combination thereof.

Craft: The game box designs were made using Adobe Illustrator.The box was very simple in that I transferred aspects of the game board design to the box, such as the superhero, the planet, villain, and the text.
Concept: The goal of the project was to create a box design that conveyed what the game is about and what audience the game is created for.
Composition: The composition was the most important in designing the game's box. We discussed that key components such as the number of players, title, age, and illustrations were key in making a box for a game. I included the most important aspects of my game on the box to convey the outer space setting with the hero being the main character as the theme of the game.

The reason I picked this game box is because I like how the color scheme works together in an appealing way. The complementary colors help both the background and text stand out in a dynamic way.

I like how the image demonstrates how the games is played. The side-ways arrangement of the text also conveys that the game will be hectic.

Both the design of the title and the image convey the chaos of war like the title suggests.

This Star Trek board game box design gives me an idea of how I might want to design my game since both have outer space themes.

The uniform color scheme is appealing.

This box is well constructed in that it shows each character in the game while also capturing the attention of the consumer by the action-packed illustration centered on the box.

The color scheme is the most appealing which includes a lot of vibrant, playful colors like pinks and blues. I also like how the  image portrays a candy kingdom where the setting where the game takes place.

I like how the text is big and bold enough to draw the viewer's eye. I also like how the illustration gives a CLUE (no pun intended :)) concerning what the game will be about. Definitely has this old-timey, "who dun nit?" movie feel where the butler is always found guilty.

I think the text gives the consumer the theme of the game which conveys an eerie, horror feeling. The illustration is also eye-catching being that there is action between the characters.

What I liked about this gameboard is that it displays the actual gameplay, giving the consumer something to look forward to when purchasing.

Week 9: Game Board Box

Craft: The game box designs were made using Adobe Illustrator.The box was very simple in that I transferred aspects of the gameboard design to the box, such as the superhero, the planet, villain, and the text.
Concept: The goal of the project was to create a box design that conveyed what the game is about and what audience the game is created for.
Composition: The composition was the most important in designing the game's box. We discussed that key components such as the number of players, title, age, and illustrations were key in making a box for a game. I included the most important aspects of my game on the box to convey the outer space setting with the hero being the main character as the theme of the game.

Week 8: Game Board Pieces

Craft: Both the game piece designs were made using Adobe Illustrator. I first decided what type of symbols would be good to represent the game as game pieces. Since the setting takes place in outer space, I though space related pieces would be the most logical.  For my three game pieces, I chose a planet, star, and a piece shaped like the hero of the game, I started out with the planet. I researched online to see if there were existing game pieces in this design. After finding one, I traced it in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool, then colored each aspect of the design such as the globe, ring, and the base of the design. The other pieces were made by simply copying and pasting other tracings I previously made.
Concept: The goal of the project was to create game pieces that related to the game created in a logical way.
Composition: The composition was quite simple being that the figure or symbol had to be centered on the base of the game piece. using the Shape Builder Tool was useful in merging separate components together, such as the star, post, and base of the piece.

Special Edition Blog: Edyta Stepien's "Non-Phenomena"

This exhibition consisted of large-scale video projections on the walls of SXU's Art Gallery. When I first stepped in, there was a striking impact as if I had been transported to an entirely different environment, Stepien opened her presentation  by allowing the viewers to ask her questions about her piece. The first topic of concern was how the piece was made. She stated that the video clips were taken by pointing a micro-lens camera at a fish tank filled with water, with natural substances such as plants and sand while also including man-made objects such as wire, glitter, and bits of paper. To create a tumultuous atmosphere in this small setting, she created ripples in the water with a blow dryer and moving the water physically to created a disturbance into the items in the tank. The sound was also a component in this multimedia exhibit. Stepien stated that the sounds came from field recordings of pitches from hurricanes and storms.

Another topic was what she wanted to communicate with this piece. Stepien's inspiration for this piece came from the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. Stepien stated that she wanted to explore the relationship between the natural and mechanical by making this simulation of a violent storm that transported us as the viewers to the center of the chaos. She explored how even natural objects have man-made components.I believe that this was successful in the way the entire gallery space was transformed to envelop the viewer in constant motion and dimness. 

This exhibition is different from any other exhibition I have attended in that it made me pay attention to both space and sound. I enjoyed how more than one sense was required to interpret  what was happening in the composition. Even though I knew I was inside of a building, the walls no longer felt like walls because of the depth and scale of the projection. While my eyes were visually interested, my ears were audibly interested in the ominous sounds of wind whistling and high pitched, resonating bells that provoked a certain emptiness or muffled sound as if I really was underwater, immersed in chaos.

Week 5:Game Board Draft

Craft:  I created this game board using Adobe Illustrator. The overall construction of the board consisted of copying and pasting multiple rectangles and arranging them in a snake-like pattern. The structure consisted of several layers with a rectangular blue fill for the background, a dark blue background with stars to emulate outer space. Most of the illustrated images were made by tracing images found on the internet, ordering the components of the image into different layers, and coloring each separate layer. These different components were then grouped together to fit onto the squares.
Concept: The object of the game is to guide the hero "Super Fatty" through a location in space to safety. On his road to safety, there are both power-ups to guide him along and  traps set by an evil villain.

Composition: I chose colors that would work well together based off of early, 8-bit style or game graphics. The color yellow played an important role in straightforwardly letting the player know when a power-up or trap has been landed on.

Week 4: Goose/Game Board Illustrations

Craft: The images were made using the Pen Tool, Direct Selection, and Curve Tool in Adobe Illustrator. I chose images off of the Internet to trace, ordering different components of the image into different layers. This enabled me to change certain colors in a particular area of the image, such as changes different colors of the goose's feathers.

Concept: While the goose was practice for getting used to using the Pen Tool, Direct Selection, and Curve Tool, the other symbols were images I could use in my game board, such as the main character who is the hero of the game.

Week 6 : Game Board: Space Adventure

Craft:  I created this game board using Adobe Illustrator. The overall construction of the board consisted of copying and pasting multiple rectangles and arranging them in a snake-like pattern. The structure consisted of several layers with a rectangular blue fill for the background, a dark blue background with stars to emulate outer space. Most of the illustrated images were made by tracing images found on the internet, ordering the components of the image into different layers, and coloring each separate layer. These different components were then grouped together to fit onto the squares.

Concept: The gameplay is based off a video game where the object of the game is to guide the hero to the exit while surpassing the traps set by the evil villain, Dr. Bones. The game board consists both traps that send the hero a specific amount of squares or power-ups that advance him a certain amount of spaces. The blackhole sends the hero back to the beginning of the board. Once the hero reaches the flag, he can be transported to safety.

Composition: I chose colors that would work well together based off of early, 8-bit style or game graphics. The color yellow played an important role in straightforwardly letting the player know when a power-up or trap has been landed on. In the next revision, I hope to add more space- like qualities by adding a safe planet in the middle of the composition and making the board larger.