Check out my new character designs that I created using Adobe Express, transforming my colorful and imaginative ideas from this project into vibrant and visually stunning works of art that truly come to life.

Concept Updates

Project Overview

Objective: Develop a brand and product with cohesive packaging.
Deliverables:

Product Name: A fitting name for the product.
Company Name/Logo: Brand identity and logo.
Branding (Style Guide): A guide for consistent branding.
Packaging: Design packaging that aligns with the product's brand and is ready for the market.
Physical Prototype: A physical example of the product.
Additional Design Materials: Extra items to enhance product presentation and usability.

Product Name: eLumi Nation

Purpose: This project aims to create a fun and engaging collectible card game with attractive packaging. It will showcase various design skills and principles to create a unique product that stands out in the gaming market. The project will also demonstrate knowledge of mass production techniques and present a polished final product to attract players and collectors.

Scope:
Duration: 4 weeks
Components:

Product design: 107 card designs
Packaging design: 3 booster packs & 1 theme deck box

Logo Design:

Initial Sketches: Focused on clear typography for visibility against detailed backgrounds, later added pixie wings for interest.
Typeface Integration: Used Luminari-Regular with a ~.25 stroke for enhanced readability.
Pixie Wing Icon: Designed stylized pixie wings to convey magic and fantasy, complementing the Luminari typeface.
Visual Effects: Added a white version of the logo with a 5px Gaussian blur for a soft glow on colored backgrounds.
Refinement: Polished the logo to ensure harmony between the pixie wings and rainbow gem background, creating an attractive design.

Ideation &
Market Research

Developing the Brand Identity & Logo Design

eLumi Nation is a fun trading card game for all ages, set in a colorful fantasy world. It blends the joy of classic card games with a modern look, welcoming both new and seasoned players. We celebrate imagination and discovery, designing a game that's easy to learn but offers deep strategies for mastering play. Our goal is to build a community where players can connect, share tips, and explore the endless adventures of eLumi.

Tagline: "Enter a world where magic meets imagination."

Research & Concept Development:

Market Analysis: Reviewed popular TCGs like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering to identify market opportunities.
Target Audience:
- Demographics:
  - Age: 7 and up.
  - Gender: Appeals to all.
- Interests: Fantasy, collecting, competitive play, community activities.
- Psychographics:
  - Lifestyle: Enjoy imaginative hobbies and gaming with family and friends.
  - Motivations: Desire a simple yet strategically deep game for rewarding collecting and gameplay.

Updates post-graduation!

Explore my AI-Enhanced Character Designs! After my senior project, I used Adobe Illustrator & Express to create vector and 3D animated characters from sketches. Each design has vibrant colors and shapes! Discover these lively characters—your new favorite is waiting!

Character Designs

Style Guide & Visual Assets

I started by gathering the components necessary for all the cards. This included typography, logos, color schemes for each type of card, and finally, the 11 elemental lumina energy stones that would symbolize the card's type.

I paid special attention to the stones, ensuring they were all of consistent size. This was crucial to guarantee they would seamlessly fit into their designated areas within the card design, with minimal variation.

Creating eLumi Nation Cards in Adobe Illustrator

Designing the trading card game (TCG) cards began with the foundational step of determining the essential types of cards required for gameplay.

To create a dynamic and engaging game experience, we identified six core card types:

eLumi Creature Cards: which represent the various beings that players can summon and battle with.

Summoner Cards: which denote the players and their special abilities; Item Cards, which provide various in-game advantages or effects.

Spell Cards: which introduce powerful spells with unique effects.

Accessory Cards: which enhance creatures or provide strategic benefits.

Lumina Energy Stone Cards: which are used to fuel the special abilities and summoning costs of other cards. By establishing these categories, we ensured that each card type would contribute meaningfully to the game’s mechanics and overall strategy.

AI Utilization & File Optimization

Adobe AI Generate Tool:
The Adobe AI Generate Tool became invaluable in facilitating the mass production of cards for the prototype product within a tight timeline. By leveraging Adobe AI's capabilities, I efficiently created background illustrations, significantly enhancing the design workflow. Crafting detailed prompts allowed me to produce intricate and diverse card designs swiftly. By simplifying designs where necessary and meticulously refining the generated artwork, I ensured optimal results. This strategic approach streamlined the creative process, demonstrating the effectiveness of AI tools in producing high-quality, concept-driven prototypes in a short period.

Anatomy: The Creature Card

From top-left to bottom-right:

Name of Card
Life Points (LP)
Summon Cost
Card elemental Lumina Stone Energy
Photo
Weakness typing (x2)
Special Ability and Moves with Lumina Cost
Copyright Placement
Card Set # and Rarity

Anatomy: The Summoner Card

From top-left to bottom-right:

Card Type
Summoner Name
- Summoner Title
Summon Cost
Card elemental Lumina Stone Energy
Photo
Summoner Skill or Ability
Copyright Placement
Card Set # and Rarity

File Management: Card designs were saved as PDFs with precise trim and registration marks, and then consolidated into Adobe InDesign for a flattened file.

This method facilitated smoother printing processes and minimized file sizes, ensuring both high-quality output and efficient file handling.

Product Prototyping & Print Testing

Card Prototyping:

After detailing the content for each card and setting up margins and safe areas, I proceeded to create physical prototypes to assess design elements and functionality. This stage involved conducting print tests to verify color accuracy, readability, and overall design quality.

For instance, I adjusted the font color on the card body to enhance legibility in the printed versions. These prototypes were crucial for fine-tuning the design and ensuring that every visual element met the desired standards when produced.

First Iteration

Final Iteration

Creating the Packaging

Booster Packs & Theme Deck Box Creation

Design Development: Created three booster pack designs and a theme deck box with cohesive branding and thematic elements.
Layout: Designed the front, back, and sides of booster packs and all panels of the theme deck box.
Alignment and Bleed: Ensured precise alignment using guide and applied bleed settings for visual consistency.
Prototyping and Testing: Developed prototypes for evaluation and conducted print tests to fine-tune color accuracy and design quality.
Printing Challenges: Adapted from foil printing to glossy paper to maintain visual appeal.
Finalization: Prepared files with trim and registration marks and oversaw quality control during production.