Overview
Everdell Silverfrost is the second in the Everdell Edge of the Map games. It features the same great gameplay as the world-renowned Everdell board game, with fresh art and more competitive game mechanics.
Objectives
- Work with the game designer, illustrator, and production team to create print-ready, professional design files.
- Collaborate with the production team to identify compelling color swatches for molded plastic elements.
- Develop a functional 3D mountain component.
- Develop marketing collateral for new release announcements and convention displays.
Approach
Silverfrost was a familiar process, having worked on several games by this point. The biggest challenge was drafting and prototyping the 3D mountain. We tested several white samples with the factory before landing on the final design.
Once the artwork was received, Silverfrost involved laying out cards, punchboard, and the game board, then moving on to the rulebook— a more complex component as it builds on earlier materials.
Silverfrost was also the first project where I received card data in spreadsheet form from the game designer. With eight unique decks, using data merging was critical to working efficiently.
Client
Starling Games
Tabletop Tycoon
Role
- Graphic Design
- Product Design & Prototyping
Software
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Dimensions
- Blender
- Teamwork, G Suite & Dropbox
Deliverables
Base Game
- Gameboard
- Rulebook
- 3D Mountain
- Punchboard
- Token Illustration
- Card Decks
- 3D Game Render
Upgrade Packs
- Box labels
- Wooden 3D Mountain
- 3D Component Renders
Marketing
- Newsletter Graphics
- Webpage Graphics
- Kickstarter Graphics
- Sell Sheet
Silverfrost Collector’s Edition
The Collector’s Edition features plastic, wood, and metal components. Starling Games also released an Essentials Edition, which replaces many of the plastic components with punchboard versions for a more streamlined production.
Wooden Mountain
As an interactive extension of the gameboard, Silverfrost includes a 3D mountain. The base game mountain is made from punchboard, with an upgraded wooden version available separately. Designing the wooden mountain presents unique challenges, as the material is thicker than punchboard and requires a different printing and cutting process.
Deluxe Resource Vessels
Deluxe Resource Vessels are a separate upgrade used to store Silverfrost game components. I identified initial sample colors, rendered and colorized 3D models for the box, used existing card art for the cover, and designed a multilingual international label to support global wholesale distribution.
3D Renders
Silverfrost is only the second game for which I developed a 3D render. One of the unique challenges of board game design is the need for product images before the physical components are fully produced. As a result, many games rely on 3D renders for box art and early marketing materials.
To support this, I learned basic 3D modeling and staging using Blender and Adobe Dimension. For Silverfrost, I extruded punchboard components in Blender and arranged the final composition in Dimension. Later games would be staged entirely in Blender, as the layouts are too complex for Adobe Dimensions.
Developing the 3D Mountain
The 3D mountain was a collaborative process. A teammate designed the initial concept in cardboard, and I translated it into cut lines with accurate dimensions. We then ordered a white sample and worked back and forth with the factory to adjust and refine the design.
Proof of Concept
Our team initially prototyped the mountain with scrap cardboard. This allowed quick iterations with minimal commitment to the design.
Translating to Digital
From there, I translated the cardboard pieces into a sketch that could be brought into Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator, I drafted the cut lines, taking into account the size limitations of the box and the differing material thicknesses of the final versions: a basic punchboard version and a deluxe wooden version.
Getting the White Sample
Once we had the initial cut lines, the team ordered white samples from the factory. Some adjustments were needed, but the design was close enough that we could proceed with commissioning the artwork.
Working with an Illustrator
Lukas Siegmon completed the illustrations for Silverfrost, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. His work captured the rugged and imposing nature of the mountain and snow within the game.
Final Samples
Once the entire game had been laid out and approved, we were able to send out for a PPC (pre-production copy) and move into production. Pictured here is the final mountain.
Rulebook and Assembly Sheets
The mountain and beacon components are designed to be assembled once and hold together securely through friction. As customer support, I designed assembly guides for both the punchboard and the wooden mountain using 3D renders.
Revisit the Vision!
While I wasn’t involved in any video production, I’m proud of this project and wanted to share it further. Check out BoardGameGeek’s review of Everdell: Silverfrost.
Similiar Projects
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Tabletop Tycoon / Tycoon Games product photos, art and designs ©Tabletop Tycoon/Tycoon Games, until the heat death of the universe. All Tabletop Tycoon / Tycoon Games files represented here have either been released to the public by the company, or modified to be low resolution and/or a distorted version of the original files to prevent commercial reproduction. All use of graphics are meant only to demonstrate graphic design skills and experience of the graphic designer.
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