A view from across the table - Illustration & Graphic Design
How to become a professional board game illustrator or graphic designer
Last week I got a message from an illustrator trying to break into the board game industry. We had a great conversation; he is earnest, has an interesting style, and is willing to put in the work to make it in the field that he loves. He didn’t solicit me for work, just for advice, and I only saw his portfolio because I asked.
Chelsea and I recently completed a search for an illustrator and a graphic designer. We found great partners on both fronts - in Stephen Nickel and Christine Santana - but, the process was illuminating. We interacted with a lot of amazing illustrators and designers, and a lot who, to put things bluntly, could use some guidance.
The purpose of this post is to try and help direct the efforts of some of those illustrators and graphic designers who are earlier in their professional development, who might be earnest, but don’t know how to direct that effort for good result.
This shouldn’t replace trial and error, critical thought, and listening to people who are doing the work that you want to be doing, but it is a point of view. We know what it is like from the other side of the table - where we looked, what we looked for, what resonated, and what turned us off.
So, take all of this for what it is worth – these are the steps that I would take if I were trying to break into the field of board game illustration and graphic design.
I broke it down into four sections:
Basics
Board Game Illustration & Graphic Design
Specific recommendations for illustrators
Specific recommendations for graphic designers
Basics:
Become a professional level creator: Everyone is going to be at different points of professional development, but if you want to professionally illustrate board games (even indie board games) and are messaging someone about a four or five figure paycheck, then you need to nurture your skills and grow them to a professional level. Get your perspective dialed in, work on your anatomy, keep on improving. [An industry professional pointed me here as a starting point for illustrators].
Build and curate a portfolio: Build a portfolio that shows off both your skill, as well as the breadth of your work. We had a hard time finding an illustrator in the style that we were looking for, who also has a great eye for landscapes. We may have overlooked a number of excellent candidates, because their portfolios didn’t include developed landscape art.
Make a website / landing page: Graphic designers seem to be on top of this, but for some reason a lot of illustrators aren’t. It’s like $12 a year to host a domain on Google. There are plenty of free templates to build off of. There is no reason not to have a centralized landing page with links to your portfolio and contact information. I know that just using Artstation is industry standard for illustrators, but having a centralized website or link tree for social media, contact, and portfolios seems like a low effort way to stand out (and make life easier for people looking to hire you).
Be a part of your community: One of my favorite things about the board game publishing community is how supportive it is. The community wants more designers to succeed, and established designers freely share detailed information on how to get a game out the door. My take on the illustrative community is that it’s the same. Our illustrator has a twitch channel where he regularly critiques viewer work, teaches technique, and links helpful resources. Your peers are your best resource. They will help you improve, direct projects your way, and be supportive of your efforts.
Board Game Illustration & Graphic Design:
Contribute (don’t spam) the board game design and publication communities: If you want to work in board game illustration and design then you should be hanging out where board game designers and publishers hang out. There are tons of forums on Facebook and Reddit (and likely elsewhere) where board game designers go for advice.
Every single day people share rough artwork, game ideas, mocked up cards, box designs, and player mats that they are working on. If you start interacting with game designers/publishers, they will notice. Don’t spam us with your links, but spend 5 minutes to critique someone’s card design. Mockup a better version. Point out where artwork is falling short, where there are tangent issues, where perspective is broken or flat. Do a quick sketch of how you would approach the subject matter.
Don’t tag yourself, or link your portfolio. Just comment and participate. Be helpful. People will notice, and, eventually, someone will be looking for a great designer or illustrator, and you’ll be right there with an established reputation.
Master the specific needs of the community: Beyond being a great designer/illustrator you need to learn and master the specific needs of the industry. Art must be readable at specific scales and work within templates. Art must be deliverable digitally (this is at least preferable for a lot of smaller publishers). Graphic and physical design need to optimize ease of play, and meet manufacturer specifications.
Be realistic about where you are in your career and how developed your skills are: Your skills are still developing. That is ok. There is still work for you in the field. Some games require simpler art, or specific styles that you might be great at. Some publishers (myself included) would love to commission lower cost playtest art at a fast turn-around. Be honest with yourself and with prospective clients about where your skills are, and what you can deliver. People respect honesty. Hand in hand with this is to know your worth and ask for an appropriate amount of compensation.
Illustration & design is a big cost for game designers & publishers and a stressful decision: Illustration is often (usually) the largest single expense in the development of a board game. Hiring an illustrator is a high stakes decision – both in terms of cost and in that illustration can make or break a game. Recognize that this is the case, and make sure that you approach prospective commissions professionally, and by setting appropriate expectations on both sides of the transaction.
Be professional, courteous and don’t spam: If you want to do something professionally, then act like a professional. Don’t spam DMs or link your portfolio when it is off topic. Make yourself present and a part of the community.
Consistency matters: None of this is an overnight solution or a hack.
Specific advice for illustrators:
Define your style and show your range: Both style and range can get you a commission. Don’t skimp on the fundamentals, but also define yourself as an artist. Develop your tone, and your perspective. Think about board games known for their amazing art, can you deliver a unique perspective like those games offer?
Consider concept art, playtest art, margin illustration and doodles: I mentioned this above, but not every illustrator has developed their skills to the point that they can deliver on a professional quality board game. That is ok. There are other ways to build relationships and make a bit of money while you continue to improve. Consider offering concept art, playtest art, or even simple ink doodles for rule book margins. Being honest about your skill level and delivering what you promise is how you build a reputation.
It’s more than anime and goblins: Drawing anime and fantasy art is great, but there is a whole wide world out there that could use some pictures of trees, factories, birds and spaceships. For the next game we are developing we’ll be looking for an illustrator who can work in a watercolor style digitally, and is great at painting frogs wearing ridiculously large renaissance style hats. Get good at that.
Build an audience: Get on Twitch, get on Instagram. Being able to promote yourself (while showing off great artwork) will not only help you be discovered, but will give prospective clients more confidence in you. If you can promote yourself, you can promote a game.
Specific advice for graphic designers:
Ease of play & cognitive load: Board game graphic design prioritizes ease of play, readability, and reducing cognitive load. Build your portfolio of beautiful and functional designs with this in mind.
Manufacturer specifications: Board game manufacturers have specific templates and specifications. If you want to do graphic design for the industry, you should learn what these are, how to work within them, and how to format around them. Some publishers won’t need your expertise on this front, but many (myself included) highly value partnering with a graphic designer who knows the ins and outs of manufacturing. A good place to read up on this is Panda GM’s website – they are one of the larger and more user friendly manufacturers.
Make info-graphics: This is a super specific one, but could be generalized to “do something creative and value added”. There are tons of great resources out there that talk about board game design, publication, crowd funding, shipping, fulfillment, marketing, etc. Choose an article and make an info-graphic about it. Post it on your blog and tweet about it. Send it the original author. Then do it again, and again, every week. I might be wrong, and it might flop, but it seems like a creative way to make content that people want, while showing off you’re your design skills, and building a name for yourself in the industry.
Take what you will from all of this. I am not an illustrator, just a guy who has hired for illustration and design. So, find what works for you. I’ll be rooting for you.
Oh, and if you do watercolor frogs, hit me up.
