BIOTA CARD GAME (IN PROGRESS)
Biota is a two player strategy based card game. Players build their deck with cards, each representing an animal with a unique ability and win by conquering "habitats," unique environments with varying effects. Biota balances game system mechanics with aesthetics. The accessibility of the typography and visuals excite a wide audience.
TOOLS USED Figma, Adobe Illustrator
ROLES AND SKILLS Print production, Illustration, Play-testing, Typography
RESEARCH AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Biota would primarily be played by folks age 15-35, primarily those who already play card games, this means certain elements should be familiar icons, and the layout should feel intuitive to card players. Since my game is 2-player, this scope widens to include many couples.
PROCESS AND WORK
I began with a digital illustration of a chicken, and thought it would be great as a character in a video or card game. I toyed with placing it in various card layouts, and began to create a card system. To define the illustrative style, I ran multiple iterations and conducted public testing to see which directions resonated. The final style combined elements from several top performing concepts. The game system is educational and exciting, pairing creatures and their scientific names with a bold vibrant color palette and engaging digital illustrations. Its variety of creatures means most viewers are able to find something in Biota they gravitate towards.
The game system is educational and exciting, pairing creatures and their scientific names with a bold vibrant color palette and engaging digital illustrations. Its variety of creatures means most viewers are able to find something in Biota they gravitate towards.
With a goal of one creature illustration per day, I quickly hit a limitation with the original color palette. Introducing blue added the depth and dimension the set needed, as the collection grew, variety and diversity were needed.
Card layout presented another challenge. After many iterations placing creatures against colorful backgrounds, achieving consistent balance proved difficult. Removing the backgrounds improved balance and contrast and let the illustrations shine.
For the Biota wordmark, I mapped the brand's core attributes: strategic, variable, unique, friendly, geometric, and playful. Gravesend Sans Bold was the natural choice, hitting all of these notes. Hand-tracing the letterforms in Illustrator gave it a more distinctive, crafted feel.
With a library of assets established, I was now able to create an expansive range of products. Cards, boxes, instruction sheets, stickers, etc.
Currently I am working on the back of card designs, which Is patterned, and using elements I already have. The thinner geometric lines mirror the thin and delicate lines that I have in my digital illustrations.
Next up i’ll be working on the design for my card boxes! Thank you for reading through my process thus far!
