Hey, gang!
Some exciting news to share in this week’s Crow’s Nest post as work on Osprey Adrift barrels along… Our talented graphic artist, Von Serrot (née: Kaela Torres) has completed the game’s logo!
We spent some time going over ideas, sketches, and she played with different fonts and layouts until we got the one that fits perfectly – I’m beyond thrilled with the final outcome!
When she and I started talking about the logo, I initially proposed an image of a pirate ship because, well, that seemed like the obvious choice to me. But, me not being a particularly visual thinker (I tend to think in terms of narratives and stories), she talked me off my ledge. A pirate ship is the obvious choice… but, it doesn’t really say much about the game’s main appeal – the sense of fear and paranoia that has taken over the pirate ship because of cannibals operating under the cloak of night. Besides, from a graphic design standpoint, a pirate ship would just look like a “napkin in the wind” when it’s printed at a smaller size and resolution (her words… hah!).
Instead of a pirate ship, she had the idea of a pirate jack skull-and-crossbones motif which, still screams “pirate ship.” But the beauty of it is that it also oozes thematic potential. I immediately loved the idea, and began rattling off ways it could be a nod to the idea of cannibalism. “Put some meat on the bones! Or… maybe instead of bones, they could be human arms and legs!” were the best I could muster. Again… not a particularly visual thinker.
When she came back with the sketch, I was amazed at how she took my cartoonish explanation into something that actually looked cool. That takes true artistic talent. I can’t wait to see what else she cooks up for the rest of the game!
I’m busy over the next week or so locking in our manufacturing partner. I’ve gotten quotes from several highly regarded printers from all over the globe, and after getting a few more, I’ll be doing a final analysis of costs, capabilities, etc. But one thing I want to make sure we do–regardless of our manufacturing partner–is a treasure chest design for the box. Kaela has even put together a mock-up of what the box may look like – just keep in mind that this box isn’t the final design. I’d like it to be a bit older looking and weathered, and I’m absolutely positive she’ll create something brilliant!
Anyhow, over the coming weeks and months up until the Kickstarter launch, I’ll be sharing the team’s progress because, to be honest, I’m blown away with how awesome this game is going to look. Fiona’s got preliminary sketches done for the game’s characters (the Role cards), and they look fantastic. She captured each character perfectly, even in the first round of sketches! Hopefully soon I’ll be able to start sharing some of her artwork. Once I finally lock in our manufacturer, I’ll be able to give Kaela some design file templates and guidelines for her to start laying things out digitally; and I know she’s going to turn this card game into something really special.
It’s beyond exciting to see two such talented artists working on bringing this card game to life! Until next time, gang. Keep it plucky,
Nick
