Friendly Fishing is an upcoming board game published by GameHead. It was previously known as 'Tonari' and, like any game reskin, you want to both excite existing fans and attract new players. Illustration challenges included designing an approachable aesthetic that reflected the theme, as well as creating dozens of assets that worked together seamlessly.
Friendly Fishing was a unique challenge with beautiful results, and will hopefully brighten the shelves of players for years to come.
Design Process for Friendly Fishing
As with all my projects, the design process begins with lots of sketching. Much of it is done on paper, and then the strongest concepts are refined digitally for client presentation. Several aesthetics were explored, along with designs for the cover. In the end, two were selected — one for the box cover, and one for the instructional booklet.
Gameplay Components
Friendly Fishing comes with over 50 illustrated tokens, and no two are exactly alike. Each token design had to be unique and visually memorable for the game to properly work. This also included a singular wooden token depicting the three characters from the front of the box.
The Board
Careful consideration was put into the board game artwork. We wanted something lush and alive to decorate the borders of the play area, allowing the centre of the board to remain free for tokens. Inspired by the real life pond behind my house, I added all sorts of details, including frogs, birds, turtles, insects, and flowers.
Final Result
"Alisha's vision gave life and magic to Friendly Fishing in a way I could not have dreamed of. She was a joy to work with, and when she turned in sketches and final illustrations, I had no notes. She's a rare and skilled talent with enormous range."
— Paul Salomon,Creative Director, GameHead
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All of my projects are entirely AI-free. I do not believe in using generative AI, both creatively and morally. All work you see is 100% human-made.
