Packaging Design for
Legends of Gadia
Graphic Designer: Su Mon Han
“LoG” for short, LEGENDS OF GADIA is an original fantasy card game sprung from the pages of the GADIA fantasy novel series.
Tauted as “The Most Epic Game You Can Play in 20 Minutes,” LoG lives up to the claim not only through its engaging, strategic gameplay but through its vast lore and the compelling, character-driven story of the 12 heroes depicted on the cards.
Project: LoG Box Packaging Design
Specs and Brief
2.5” x 3.5” (standard poker card size)
Fits 56 cards and 84-page rulebook
Brief: Showcase the stunning artwork of the game; convey the “light”/quick nature of the game while concurrently highlighting deeply thematic “fantasy” and “epic” qualities of the game’s mythos.
Print Files Set Up According to Manufacturer’s Templates
Thematic Consistency
Myth, High Fantasy, Tarot/Mystical Aesthetic
Brand color palette/aesthetic of “blue sky” and “epic/high fantasy” carried through all incidental designs
E.g. Kickstarter special item “LoG Tarot Set”
Character art-centered to reflect the “tale of legends” theme and myth-steeped nature of the game
Carried through to choice of colors on Player Reference Cards I designed
Player Reference Card 1
(Front)
Player Reference Card 2
(Front)
Player Reference Card 1
(Back)
Player Reference Card 2
(Back)
LoG Tarot Card Special Item
(Card Back Design)
LoG Tarot Set
Folded Instruction Sheet (Back)
Back of Box Design Thought Process
Thoughtful, Thematic Details
Worked with very limited real estate to include:
Story/Thematic Interest
Game Logistics (ages, time, player count)
Speech bubbles of character artwork to call out key selling points
Maximized thematic design (even the thumbslot!)
Thoughtful design touch — I added the star at the top-center of cards on the top cover flap/insert, to echo the way the star peeks out of the thumb-slot when the top is open:
Misprint Issue: Communication with Manufacturers
After approving the hard copy proofs of LEGENDS OF GADIA, I had to deal with a miscoloration issue on the final games for the first print run.
Due to a failure on the printers’ part to correct for the dulling and “cooling” (color temperature) effect of the soft-touch laminate finish on the boxes, the box art came out severely miscolored.
Concerned both because of the color mismatch (and how relatively dull/un-eye-catching the delivered product appeared compared to the expected color saturation on our approved hard copies), I communicated with the manufacturers to explain both the miscoloration issue (which they should have corrected so that the finals would match the hard copy proofs), and took the opportunity to point out certain slight misalignment issues versus what was submitted in my print files and what was promised and agreed to in the hard copy proofs.
Below is one of the several photos I sent them to show the difference between the hard copy proof (in the center) and the full run of miscolored games/box covers they had delivered (the 8 boxes around it):
I mailed back the approved hard copy proof they had previously provided (right side) as well as the miscolored final games (left side). They corrected the coloring on their file to accommodate the laminate’s dulling and cooling color effect and sent me this photo for approval of the corrected printing:
Finished Product
See More of My Work:
Contact Su Mon
As a lifelong storyteller and lover of fantasy worlds, I’m eager to find my next, lush world and project to immerse myself into now that LEGENDS OF GADIA has been completed and released into the world.
Let me bring my unique blend of grand-scale vision and minute logistical precision to your next project as your passionate and rock-solid Art Director or Brand Manager with a proven track record of bringing projects from any stage to final delivery.