Taking Chances is a game designed to encourage the player to step out of their comfort zone in small ways. Studies show that taking small risks on a day to day basis prepares us for making important decisions when we have to.
The game centers around cards that ask the player to perform an action. The action could be something like singing a song or acting out a movie scene. The more actions you preform the better you do!
Concept
I set out to design a product to help players escape their comfort zone.
I originally explored a number of formats and decided on a card game. I was inspired by party games like Cards Against Humanity and Sushi Go! I knew that their interactive and cooperative gameplay styles would fit in perfectly with my goal.
Character Cards
After deciding that players would act out certain actions during gameplay, I set out to create a mascot character.
The character would visually indicate what action a player should perform and act as a strong branding element. I chose a cat in reference of the ancient proverb, “A cats has nine lives.”
In testing, most players found the illustrations to be the most endearing part of the game. The card illustrations are often referential of pop culture and have a slightly sarcastic voice.
All of the characters and forms were designed using simple geometric shapes layered in sometimes complex ways. I am able to create a limitless number of poses and actions from a single template.
As the project went on, I explored different ways of abstracting the cat form including mimicking the standard emoji design.
Branding
Once the cat character was developed, I knew I wanted to use the basic form as a logo. I optimized the various strokes and shapes in order to look better at smaller and larger sizes. I also designed a logotype companion.
The logotype is bold and all-caps and slanted at a precise angle. View the Branding Guidelines here.
Packaging and Cards
The Taking Chances box design is bright and colorful and features the logo, basic information and some character poses. I designed the box to stand out from common designs on hobby shop shelves. The back of the box explains how the game works to players and has a QR code to easily reach the website.
App and Mobile Experience
As part of the exploration phase of Taking Chances, I designed a mobile experience to take the game online. Users would be able to accept challenges and challenge their friends and receive digital badges for their achievements. Photo, video and geolocation would play a large role in the gameplay.
Website
The Taking Chances website is a facsimile of what I imagine the real Taking Chances product website would be like. It features information about the game, a store and a social blog. Visit the Taking Chances concept website.
Process Book
As a companion to Taking Chances, I designed a process book that goes deep into every detail of its development. Check out the process book here.