Tasked with creating a board game for package design, Culprit: A Coup in the Zoo, is a family-friendly deductive reasoning game in which I underwent world-building to then create 3D prototypes, design, brand, package, and market my game.
Set at a zoo near ASU, students there to study animal behavior must figure out which student released the monkeys from the cage before all six of them go down for the crime. The topic is both relatable and positive to encourage a learning experience.
Because of continued refinements in gameplay, prototyping, and logical paths, the result was an easily playable deductive reasoning game that combines storytelling and visual design.
BRANDING & CREATING A BOARD GAME
FOCUSES
Branding and Visual Identity
Color Theory
Packaging
2D and 3D Prototyping
Marketing
3D Modelling
Branding
The name of the game is Culprit which means a person who is responsible for a crime. As this is a mystery and deductive reasoning game, the P actually has a hidden question mark to allude to the major themes. The font choice is a modern rounded sans serif that feels warm and welcoming. And finally, the tagline a coup in the zoo, is a rhyming line that means a clever and decisive move in the zoo, again feeding into the mystery aspect.
In order to have a successful and well-read game, the characters, pieces, and animals all had to be distinguishable and recognizable. I spent a long-time studying animal to accurately represent them on the board game, as well as learning about charter development to give them their own personas. I chose an animated graphic style to allude to the friendly nature of the game.
I experimented with 3D modelling and resin 3D printing to create tools, resin molding mixed with colored pigment to create pawns, and heat molding to create a custom box insert to organize game pieces. These elements along with the board, box, cards, rule book, and deduction sheets were included in the final deliverables.
