“Working with Sonderflex was the right choice for our project.
They provided great flexibility and quick adaption to all our needs, offering transparency and open communication throughout all the steps of the project.”
- Marina Fahrenbach, HeidelBÄR Games GmbH
Overview
HeidelBÄR Games, a renowned German board and card game publisher, was looking for a game art outsourcing for boardgame illustration artwork to create a comprehensive set of artworks for a new boardgame project called Time Division, a game about duality and time travel!
We, as an game art outsourcing studio, we were more than willing to take on this opportunity to take on the illustration proejct!
Client's Challenges
HeidelBÄR Games sought artistic support for their upcoming boardgame, requiring a diverse range of artwork, including 3 different eras with each having 19 character card illustrations, game board design, packaging cover art, and 3D mockup renders of the game.
The objective was to craft visually compelling and thematic elements that would enrich the gameplay experience and attract the target audience.
The artwork itself should be done in around 6 to 7 months, a very tight timeline. We need to be fast while delivering the best quality artwork. So, how did we do it? Continue reading.
Our Approach
1. Understanding the Vision
Sonderflex engaged in extensive discussions with HeidelBÄR Games to grasp the game's theme, narrative, and visual requirements.
2. Card Illustrations
Leveraging their expertise, Sonderflex swiftly initiated the creation process with sketches. Because of the time constraints, Sonderflex resorted to a simplistic painterly almost flat artstyle with a simple background. This will ensure all 57 card illustrations can be done on time and in high quality. This card illustration consists of animal characters in three different eras;
Ancient Egypt - has yellow, red, gold, and teal color tone.
Medieval - has darker tone and more contrast
1980’s America - has bright colorful tone
Besides the characters, we also do the card back illustrations. The design encompassed a shimmering gold border embellishment. Three unique icons were conceptualized and rendered to capture the essence and distinct characteristics of its respective era.
3. Game Board Design
Additionally, Sonderflex crafted an immersive and functional game board design that complemented the overall game mechanics, fostering an engaging gaming environment. The theme of duality was also brought up again with black and gold color separation, different visual designs in both sides.
4. Packaging Cover Art
The team developed a captivating cover art for the game's packaging, intending to attract potential buyers and convey the essence of the game narrative.
The keywords for the cover is duality.
This can be seen on the cover which involves two sides of the main sides upside down, akin to an hourglass, with gold color represent the Hourglass faction and black represent the Black Mirror faction.
We decided to go for strong blocky shape with sense of movement and depth, a feeling of being sucked into a time vortex with armillary sphere metals in the background as association to travelling to different time knots.
5. Game Mockup
Sonderflex also helped to create a 3D game mockup for the rule book, which improved the visualization of the finished product by showing how it would look. This 3d game mockup allow HeidelBÄR to have the game board laid out before it got printed.
Timeline and Delivery
Sonderflex was able to effectively manage the project and provide all design components in 6 - 7 months. Works begin in Early January and end in early July. HeidelBÄR Games was able to easily incorporate the artworks into their game creation process thanks to the prompt delivery.
Value
The collaboration between Sonderflex and HeidelBÄR Games resulted in a harmonious fusion of creative expertise and client vision.
During 6 to 7 months of hard work, our team delivered:
57 card illustrations of three different eras and artstyle
3 Card Back Variant
1 Box Art
1 Gameboard Art
2 3D Game Mockup
The high-quality artworks enriched the game's aesthetics and storytelling, elevating the overall gaming experience. HeidelBÄR Games received a comprehensive suite of visually stunning assets that contributed significantly to the game's appeal.
Conclusion
The collaboration between Sonderflex and HeidelBÄR Games is a perfect example of how important expert artwork is to the creation of tabletop games.
Sonderflex produced a solid collection of designs and graphics that greatly enhanced the game's presentation and marketability, exceeding the client's expectations through successful teamwork and the use of their artistic talent.
The game was released on SPIEL ESSEN 2023 and it received praise for its art and visuals.
“It was a real pleasure working with you guys, I had not expected everything going so smoothly and quickly.”
- Marina Fahrenbach, HeidelBÄR Games GmbH
Team Composition
Project Manager
Art Director
Cover Artist
5 Illustrators
3D Modeller
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