Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Colour considerations

I want the board game to be accessible and aimed at everyone of all ages and genders. In doing so, I have to consider which colour will be best suitable for everyone and will also be timeless.

Gender-neutral colours will be the most suitable for the board game as it will be targeted at everyone which would make the game fair and ethically moral. As the colours are neutral, it would also be aimed at all ages as the colour scheme will suitable for everyone. Using neutral colours will be easy to choose as a range as they will work well together regardless as they are muted.

As there are 4 challenge cards and a question card, that makes 5 card however, the game is for 2-6 players so another colour will be chosen so that the counters will correspond to the board game colours.

The research I conducted for colour scheme was on a gender neutral colours. There was a range of colours to choose from however, as I want the board game to be aimed at all ages, the design decisions were easier it helped narrow down the options. From the findings, a light colour range of both cool and warm mix is the best option as it creates balance and harmony when seen together. 

The first colour that was chosen was the yellow as yellow is a standard neutral colour. I then used Adobe colour to find the complementary colours which led me to choose the colour palette for the board game.



As the board game is universal and can be played by people of all ages, the design had to be kept

simple, using neutral colours and a basic principle for everyone to understand. The neutrality of the colour scheme means that the board game is targeted at everyone of all genders, ages and the timeless colour keeps to the longevity of the board game so that colour still look classic with time.



The colours on this design is much more subtle and pleasing to look at as it a muted, neutral design.

While I have not yet considered the typeface for the board game, 

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Typeface consideration

For the typography that will be used on the board game, a serif typeface seemed the most suitable as serifs are usually known to be traditional so the board game stay classic throughout time. The three typefaces that looked particularly classic are Baskerville, Amiri and Caslon.
















Baskerville is a classic British typeface which is said to have been created to modernise the Caslon typeface. It has high contrast letters and the serifs appear more pronounced as opposed to the other two typefaces. Baskerville is known as a 'transitional' typeface between old style and modern.























Amiri an Arabic typeface and is the newest typeface of all three and it appear to be the typeface that has the most equal stokes in each letter which makes the typeface easier to read and appear more modern.



















Caslon is a typeface that is high contrast, go-to typeface that is used on many historical documents and newspapers. While it is a classic typeface, the Caslon typeface seems to look older than the other two.

From all 3 typefaces, Baskerville will be the most suitable for the board game as it is a classic typeface. The board game is supposed to be aimed at people of all ages and genders so I believe that the Baskerville is an in-between typeface of Amiri and Caslon therefore, it is modern but also old which makes it more interesting as a typeface choice. The typeface was made for all periods.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Design development

The mock up of the board game was simple to create on Illustrator. I then proceeded to add some colour to have an idea of what the board may look like. The centre of the board game looks very busy and the corners of the board look almost non-existent.

The colours seen are too bold, obnoxious and it will not be suitable for everyone. The colours need to be a lot more subtle and lighter.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Board game ideas

The idea was is to create an engaging, intellectually stimulating game that challenges players to test their knowledge and understanding of different themes.The versatility of the board game makes it suitable for any occasion whether that is at school, with family or as a drinking game with friends; the concept of the board game stays the same but the questions and cards differ depending on the players age and their chosen theme.

The idea is to have 4 separate challenge cards: Forfeit, Truth, Compliment and Fact and separate question cards that they need to answer correctly before receiving a challenge card.

The board game allows players to test their knowledge on a diverse range of themes and learn along the way with the ‘Question’ and ‘Fact’ cards. If the player answers the ‘Question’ card correctly, they are subjected to 4 possible outcomes; they may have to nominate a fellow player to answer a ‘Truth’ question or complete a ‘Forfeit’, read out a ‘Fact’ or receive a ‘Compliment’ from each player regarding what is written onthe card.The winner of the game is the first player to receive 10 chance cards which means they would have to had answered 10 questions correctly.

The board game will be designed in a standard board game format as players would easily recognise it from existing board games in the market. This layout will be useful for people of all ages as they would be able to play with ease.

Each landing on the board game will be colour-coded to a card so whichever a player lands on, they will have that card if they answer the question correctly.

To make the game last longer and be more challenging to win, on each corner (4) there will be a 'Pass' where the player will not be able to question, therefore no card.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Existing board game research

Board game genres

• Family - Monopoly, Clue, The Game of Life, Candy Land
• Party - Pictionary, Twister, Cluedo 
• Strategy - Chess, Checkers, Dominos, Jenga, Go

Monopoly
Monopoly definition - 'The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.' 

It is a 2-8 player game. It was created by Elizabeth Magie in 1903 based on the economic concept of land monopoly and was created to explain the tax theory of Henry George. She originally created for educational purposes and highlight the negative aspects of private monopolies. It was originally called 'The Landlord's Game' and was self-published in early 1906. The original rules of the game meant that if players agreed to share the lands rent, everyone would win.

The Monopoly game has 2 sets of cards, Chance and Community Chest. The player is required to pick up a card if they land on either spot on the board game. 

A player is nominated to be the banker throughout the game, where they are in charge of the money and houses etc. The amount of cash you have at the beginning of the game would depend on the amount of players there are. Players are able collect £200 every time they pass 'Go'.

Rules: 

• Each player is required to roll the dice and whoever has rolled the dice with the largest number goes first. 
• Whenever the player lands on a street that no one has bought yet, the player is able to buy the land from the banker. If the player does buy the land, whenever the other players land on their street/property, they must pay rent to the owner.
• The player must follow the rules of the Chance and Community Chest cards when they receive one.
• If a player rolls the same number on both dice three times in a row, they should be sent to jail.
• If a player has bought all of one colour of area, they are able to then build houses.
• 'Free parking' allows the player to stay without paying anything.
• To get out of jail, the player has three tries to roll a double but if not, they have to pay a fine. The can also get out of jail using a 'Jail Free' card (if they have one) or pay a £50 fine.
• If the player wants to sell their land, they can sell it any price but would have to sell the houses or flats to the banker, one at a time.
• If you have no money and declare bankruptcy, you are out of the game.

The winner of the game is the player with the most money.

Monopoly has a range of different themes of the board game but with the same concept.

The Game of Life
The game requires 2-6 people to play. The game is also known as 'Life'. It was created by Milton Bradley in 1860 and was originally named 'The Checkered Game of Life' as it was designed similar to a checkered board. The modern version which was created in 1960, brought in the current name 'The Game of Life' was in collaboration with Reuben Klamer and Bill Markham and has been re-published many times with the new concept of the game.

The concept of the game is about passing though life from college/school to retirement meanwhile having jobs, potential marriage and children along the way. 

Like Monopoly, The Game of Life requires a player to be the banker who deals with the money and the loans etc. Each player selects a car and a peg in the drivers seat to represent their play token. Each player is required to spin the dice and whoever has landed on the highest number, goes first. Each player is given $10,000 from the bank at the start of the game.

Rules

• Each player has to choose whether they are going to start their life in education or have a career. 
• If the player chooses to have a career first, they must select a card at random that states their job role and salary and they must stick to this career unless it the card says that they need a college education.
• The player must move their car by following the number in which their dice lands on unless they reach stop, where the other player can play.
• Players must follow the direction of the orange spaces
• The blue spaces are optional and players can choose if they want to follow the directions
• The green spaces are Pay Day spaces and each player will collect the amount shown on their salary cards
• The red spaces are for job search, get married, and to buy a house. When a player reaches a red space, stop - even if the player have moves left and follow the directions. Then spin and move again.

The winner is the player that reaches retirement, paid off all their loans and has the most money.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Toy ideas

Toys are an important part of childhood and development, not only do toys allow children to stay entertained, it could also help with their learning, sharing and social skills with other children and adults. A child’s development is further enhanced when they are able to adults as it allows them to learn about leadership, creativity and group skills.

Board games are considered the most popular type of game as it is family-friendly and can be very competitive.

The earliest record of board games dated back to 3500BC, which Senet is considered the oldest board game. The game had been discovered in Egypt and therefore, the earliest date was record shows that bard games were played by the Ancient Egyptians and have evolved ever since. Senet became popular amongst the Pharaohs as they believed the success of the players was under protection from the gods.

The Egyptians believed in the winning of game so highly that they would be buried alongside the board game, which was thought to help with their journey to the afterlife.

Ideas

• Idea 1: Create a new board game design.
• Idea 2: Redesign of an existing board game but considering sustainability and circular economy.
• Idea 3: 3D pop up book that turns into a game.

Although I have made a list of potential outcomes of this brief, I already knew that I wanted to design
a new board game as it would allow me to expand my skills and it would be a challenge. Board games are the most common and popular types of games that can be used in all occasions and mostly for all ages. The re-design of a board game, considering the environmental factors wasn’t really an option as people are own the popular board games so it would be a waste for the consumer to buy and it would be more wasteful to the environment to buy what is already out there.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Sustainability and circular economy

Circular economy/design is the process of restoring and regenerating material whilst trying to minimise impact by keeping the material in use as long as possible.

‘A package is a functional tool that fulfils the variousrequirements of commerce. package designers must take into account the entire life-cycle of the package they are proposing, from its place within the brand hierarchy to the practicalities of transportation, containment, storage, display, and-use and disposal.’Designing Sustainable Packaging by Scott Boylston (p.g. 26)

To eliminate wastage, we should be more environmentally conscious approaches when buying or throwing goods such as recycling or re-purposing materials. We should also try to think about what
we really need and if the amount we buy is necessary.

Packaging plays an important role in toys as manufacturers have to think about the safety of the child, materials used and the environmental impact.

To be sustainable, we have to make a conscious effort not to use methods that may harm or impact the environment or people. This could be by eliminating simple output methods such as production and lead time, electricity, using less wasteful materials etc.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Research into existing toy materials

Most toys that are around today are made out of plastic. There has been concerns over the plastic materials of toys as parents have been worried about the toxicity levels and the fumes of which the toys have been produced around. BPA, PVC and Phthalates especially have been a cause for concern as they are known to have contain lead which can cause cancer and/or lead to hormone imbalance.

It could be worse if the toys that are made from these materials, are in smaller sizes where children can put in their mouths.

Plastics are very bad for the environment and has been a cause of concern since plastic was used in standard manufacturing processes. Plastic is made from oil which is a non-renewable resource. If the toy itself is made from plastic, it could be made worse as the outer packaging will mostly likely also be made from plastic. Plastic is a material that does not decompose and when the toy is eventually done withand thrown out, the toy will remain in land fills forlonger than a human life expectancy.

Toys are only 1% of a single household consumption of wastage, it doesn’t sound like a lot but it does all add up, especially if the toys are made of plastic, it could have more on an impact on the environment. In 2017 alone, it has been reported that 100,000 tonnes of plastic packaging have been disposed during the Christmas period.

Typical board games are made using cardboard for the outer box and the board, card and paper for the board game design to be laid on top of the board, buckram for the backing, vacuum-formed plastic tray to organise game pieces, plastic/metal game pieces and dice. Most of the board game and its componentscannot be recycled and will just end up in landfill.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - Brief

The RSA 'Fair Play' live brief is to re-design or design a consumer toy but eliminating waste, producing something environmentally friendly and using circular design principles.

A large number of toy packaging and products amount to discarded landfill and has a large impact on the environment.

Thinking about what already exists in the market, produce something that is different, innovative and a new experience. If possible, help them understand and learn to be more environmentally friendly.

The toy can be targeted and designed at anyone of any age.

Brief 2: RSA Fair Play - The Marketing Trust sponsor

The Marketing Trust is a independent charity that helps grant funds to organisations such as volunteering and education that help to understand the role of marketing in society. The Marketing Trust have agreed to fund one of the 12 RSA briefs for the next three years to help empower young and aspiring creatives.