Estelari
Estelari is a trading card game, with a theme based on the constellations and celestial bodies such as the sun, the moon, and the visible planets in the sky. The main inspiration for this exhibit is tied around the field of digital media and graphic design that I enjoy the most; illustration and digital painting. Throughout the four years I have been studying graphic design, I felt like I rarely ever got to demonstrate my fondness and preference for illustration, as most of the time, graphic design is seen more as a field centered on designing logos, company identities, and UI/UX design. With this exhibit, I am pouring my heart and soul designing the logo, the cards, and the illustrations for the cards, as this is something I would like to do once I go out to the real world and look for a job.
For the Estelari card game, I was heavily inspired by the more well known card games out there, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Pokemon trading card game. The card game includes elements seen in popular games of the caliber I’m basing it off of, such as the creatures having an elemental typing, a rock-paper-scissors style of strengths and weaknesses, attacks, life points for the cards and creatures, and support cards that add an element of strategy to the card game. The game will also include the basic rules of how to play the game, as well as some deck building tips for those players who want to take this game to a more competitive level. For a different class, I am designing the pitch for an animated TV show that serves as a tie in to the card game, similar to how some toys like Beyblade and Bakugan and even Yu-Gi-Oh! were originally based off of a manga or had an anime tie-in that basically advertised the physical game or toys.
I am not ashamed to show my inspirations for my projects, especially if they happen to be rather unorthodox for a graphic designer. In the end, the exhibit is just a peek into what I want to do as an illustrator or concept artist. I want to bring out creative ideas into the world, creating characters and creatures and stories that people enjoy and that also inspires them to create. It’s all a cycle, and now, I want to be a part in this cycle of inspiration and creation.
