Collaboration Design - Task 2 / Proposal
Chong Hui Yi / 0363195
Collaboration Design / BDCM
Task 2 / Proposal
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.
Instructions
2.
Task 2
3.
Feedback
4.
Reflection
INSTRUCTIONS
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Task 2: Proposal
Progression
In this task, we had to create a proposal. We continued our Task 1 work
and progressed with the redesign. Our goal was to improve the visual
direction of The Gluconomy while keeping the gameplay unchanged.
The Gluconomy is a game where players take turns placing glucose
in different areas or using power cards to earn ATP. The first to reach
18 ATP wins, all while navigating the risks of the stock market, bank,
and investments.
Our design team split the work into two parts. Winnie, Yanny, and I were
responsible for designing the overall art direction and the
cards, while Guo Ying, Karyee, and Melvin focused on designing
the board.
Typography
When we started working on the visual direction, we received feedback
during our Week 5 Task 1 presentation. Since this board game combines
biology and economy, both themes are usually seen as more academic and
serious. However, our current moodboard, fonts, and colours looked too
childish and playful.
Fig. 1.0 Original Typeface Combination
Based on this feedback, we realised that the hand-written style typeface
made our design appear even more childish. To address this, we changed
it to a more formal sans-serif style. We chose Paytone One for
the headings and Poppins for the body text.
Fig. 1.1 New Typeface Combination
Glucose Character Design
For our redesign, we planned to create a glucose character to appear
on the power cards. I was responsible for designing this character
and started with some initial sketches. My idea was inspired by the
molecular structure of glucose (C6H12O6). Since its shape is a
hexagon, I used a hexagon as the basic shape of the character to
make it easily recognisable.
In the glucose molecule, each corner of the hexagon connects to
atoms like H, OH, or CH2OH. I tried to incorporate the letters “C”,
“H”, and “O” into the design to give it a chemical feel, without
being too literal. For example (Fig. 2.0 number 1 & 2), the left
hand is a semi-circular shape representing “C”, and the right hand
is a circle representing “O”.
Fig. 2.0 Glucose Character Sketch
In Fig. 2.1, the first sketch attempted to use the letter “H” as
the character’s legs, but it didn’t work well visually. I then
simplified it in the third sketch, but the legs looked too light.
Finally, I combined ideas from the second and fourth sketches to create
rectangular shoes that give the character more stability. The second
version was chosen in the end because the shorter legs give a better
sense of balance.
Fig. 2.1 Glucose Character Exploration
Fig. 2.2 Final Glucose Character Design
Logo Design
Next, I started sketching some initial logo ideas. Winnie also contributed
a few suggestions during this stage. After reviewing the sketches, we felt
that the top-right logo (in red) had potential, as it was inspired by the
shape of mitochondria and the squeezed, compressed look inside.
Fig. 3.0 Initial Logo Sketches
(red lines indicate the areas: top-right section designed by Winnie,
the rest by me)
I then began digitising the logo in Illustrator. Fig. 3.1 shows the
first digital version, featuring a curved, elongated shape inspired
by mitochondria. I also decided that the word “The” was less
important, so I reduced its size and placed it in the top-left
corner. The logo’s colours were more biologically inspired,
resembling the colours of certain organs.
Fig. 3.1 First Version Logo Exploration
After receiving feedback, we realised that the logo needed to
include more economic elements. In the second round of exploration, I added more green to highlight
the economic aspect, incorporated up-and-down arrows
referencing the stock market, and replaced the “O” in the middle with a
coin-like shape. I also included our glucose character to
emphasise the biological side. In the end, we preferred the simpler
version in Fig. 3.2 (bottom-right), which only had a single upward
arrow.
Fig. 3.2 Second Version Logo Exploration
The design was further refined in the third exploration. I
experimented with different colour combinations, varied the size of
the glucose character, and tried different poses for the character. A
purple glucose paired with green text provided better contrast, and
enlarging the character made it more noticeable.
Fig. 3.3 Third Version Logo Exploration
After receiving feedback from Mr. Shamsul, who noted that the logo
was too thin and some letter strokes (such as the “G”) were not
smooth enough, I refined all the letters, thickened the strokes
for better visibility, and added subtle shadows to make the logo
stand out. These adjustments resulted in the final logo design.
Fig. 3.4 Final Logo Design
Mascot Design
We wanted to create a mascot to represent The Gluconomy’s
branding, similar to how Monopoly has its iconic man. By seeing the
mascot, players can immediately recognise the game, which helps
improve brand recognition.
Our plan was to feature the mascot on the back of the power cards and
stock market cards, as well as on the game’s packaging, manual, and
other materials.
I started sketching some initial ideas for the mascot. I wanted it to
be unique, and the most challenging part was
combining both biological and economic elements. In the end,
the team decided on the design circled in red in Fig. 4.0.
Fig. 4.0 Mascot Sketches
My idea for the mascot included a left ear shaped like a droplet
that is about to separate from the body, inspired by cellular
division and biological processes, symbolising the biological
aspect of the game. The right ear features a money symbol to
directly represent the economy. The simple body shape also matches
the style of our other characters, keeping the design flat and
minimal while remaining cohesive.
Fig. 4.1 Final Mascot Concept
Card Design
The Gluconomy board game includes two types of cards: stock market
cards and power cards. After discussing the card layout, we
decided on a design with a border, the title at the top, visuals
in the middle, and content at the bottom. Yanny and I worked on
designing the power cards, while Winnie was responsible for the
stock market cards.
Fig. 5.0 Card Layout Design
Fig. 5.1 Stock Market Card Sketches by Winnnie
Since there are six types of power cards, we decided that each
card would have a different colour. The power cards feature the
glucose character as the main element, performing different
actions to represent the effect of each card. I sketched the
designs for Insulin Attack, Shield, and Booster,
while Yanny worked on Steal and Jail, and Winnie drew Skip.
Fig. 5.2 Power Card Sketches
Final Outcome
Fig. 6.1 The Gluconomy Proposal Slide - PDF
FEEDBACK
Week 6 :
Mr Shamsul commented on the card layout designs and pointed out that the
top down layout with the main image in the centre with border is the
best.
Week 7 :
Mr Shamsul approved the good idea of splitting the board into personal and
main but we need to think clearly what elements can relate to our target
audience.
Week 8 :
Mr Shamsul liked the overall direction and feel of the stock market and
power card but suggested making the "skip" card more obvious.
Week 9 :
The logo should be refined to make the lines thicker and reduce the amount
of pointers , the green color is a good choice.
Week 10 :
The initial first version digitalization of the cards needed more elements
in the background, can brainstorm ways to fill the empty white space and
reconsider the font used.
REFLECTION
During the redesign of The Gluconomy, the biggest challenge for me was
combining biological and economic elements in the design. These two
themes are quite different, each with their own symbols and visual
language. Trying to include both in a single design could easily make it
feel too complex, so simplifying it while keeping both aspects
recognisable was especially tricky.
This is where feedback became essential. Sometimes I was happy with my
own designs, but others didn’t always see them the same way. Hearing
different perspectives helped us refine our ideas and make more informed
decisions, ensuring that the design worked well for everyone.
Overall, this project taught me the importance of balancing creativity
with clarity. I learned how to focus on the key visual elements,
simplify complex ideas without losing their meaning, and make sure the
final design clearly communicates the intended message. It also
highlighted the value of collaboration and open discussion—different
viewpoints can lead to stronger and more thoughtful design solutions.
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