How to Find the Right Artist for Your Next Boardgames

Sonderflex Studio - In the highly competitive world of modern tabletop boardgames, compelling art is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. Whether you are developing a strategic eurogame, an immersive narrative adventure, or a fast-paced party game, the visual presentation of your game can significantly influence its reception. For indie creators and mid-size publishers alike, finding the right artist is a strategic decision that directly impacts the game’s identity, marketing, and success on both crowdfunding platforms and retail shelves.

This article explores how to choose the right digital artist for your next boardgame project, guiding you through the essential steps to ensure the artwork enhances, not hinders your game's potential.

See also : Workflow of Game Art Outsourcing Studio

Understanding the Role of Art in Modern Boardgames

First Impressions Drive Engagement

In boardgames, art acts as the first point of engagement. Before players read the rulebook or understand the mechanics, they react to the box cover, character illustrations, and card visuals. High-quality, well-matched artwork can evoke curiosity, create emotional connections, and build instant credibility for your game.

This is especially true on platforms like Kickstarter, where visuals dominate decision-making. A striking key visual or unique art direction can mean the difference between a game that gets passed over and one that gains traction from day one.

Beyond Aesthetics: Art as Gameplay Support

Art is not merely decorative; it often plays a functional role in helping players interpret information. In well-designed boardgames, art reinforces gameplay clarifying factions, roles, terrain types, or event intensity through iconography, color, and composition. A skilled artist understands how to communicate narrative and mechanics visually, improving usability without sacrificing beauty.

Step 1: Define Your Visual Identity

Before looking for an artist, take the time to clarify your game’s visual needs. The more you understand your desired direction, the better your collaboration will be.

Establishing a Style Guide

Create a simple style guide or moodboard that outlines the tone, color palette, references, and genre of your game. Are you aiming for dark fantasy, whimsical adventure, sleek sci-fi, or historical realism? Defining this early ensures alignment between the art and the game’s overall tone.

Matching the Genre’s Expectations

Different genres of boardgames come with unspoken aesthetic expectations. For instance, dungeon-crawlers tend to lean toward gritty realism, while social deduction games often use minimalist, graphic styles. Studying comparable games in your genre helps you set a visual benchmark and find artists who can meet or elevate it.

Step 2: Identify the Skills You Need

Boardgames often require a range of artwork beyond just character illustrations. Understanding what kind of art you need will help you select the right specialist or team.

Common Boardgame Art Needs:

• Box Cover Illustration: High-impact, marketing-friendly visual for the game’s packaging

• Card Art: Characters, objects, abilities, or locations rendered in a consistent style

• Game Board Design: Integrated illustration that supports gameplay and spatial layout

• Character Design: Unique, recognizable, and functional for gameplay and branding

• UI Elements & Iconography: Readable and intuitive symbols, buttons, or trackers

Some artists specialize in one area; others can cover multiple aspects. Clarifying the scope of your project ensures you don’t hire someone whose strengths lie outside your needs.

Step 3: Know Where to Find Artists

Now that you know what to look for, the next question is: where do you actually find great boardgame artists?

Recommended Platforms to Find Artists:

• ArtStation One of the top platforms for digital illustrators, concept artists, and game artists. Use keyword searches like “board game artist” or filter by style and genre.

• Instagram Many illustrators use Instagram as a visual portfolio. Use hashtags such as #boardgameart, #cardgameillustration, or #fantasyillustrator to discover relevant talent.

• Google Search While broad, Google can lead you to personal portfolios or studio websites that are not on mainstream platforms. Try specific search terms like “sci-fi board game illustrator portfolio”.

• Behance Though it leans more towards graphic design, you can still find quality illustrators here, especially those with UI and layout design capabilities.

• Industry Communities and Discord Servers Consider joining boardgame development communities (e.g., on Reddit or Discord). Many artists network and showcase their portfolios directly in these circles.

When using these platforms, look for artists with a consistent visual identity and experience working in interactive media like games.

Step 4: Evaluate Artist Portfolios Carefully

Once you understand what kind of artwork your game requires, begin reviewing portfolios. A good portfolio doesn’t just show technical skill, it should demonstrate the artist’s ability to tell stories, capture tone, and adapt to different project needs.

What to Look For:

• Consistency in Style: Does the artist demonstrate a repeatable quality level across multiple pieces?

• Genre Compatibility: Have they worked in a style or theme similar to your game?

• Clarity of Communication: Is the subject matter easy to understand at a glance?

• Game Art Experience: Have they illustrated for other boardgames, TCGs, or similar interactive media?

Reviewing how their artwork holds up at different scales (zoomed out for cards, or printed large for boards) is also essential, especially when considering layout and legibility.

Step 5: Shortlist and Initiate Contact

After selecting a handful of promising candidates, reach out with a well-prepared brief. This initial communication is your opportunity to assess both artistic alignment and professional reliability.

What to Include in Your Artist Brief:

• Project overview and genre

• Sample references or moodboard

• Description of required assets (e.g., 12 character cards, 1 box cover)

• Timeline and milestones

• Budget range or request for a quote

Avoid vague emails. A concise, clear brief shows respect for the artist’s time and helps them determine whether your project is a good fit.

Step 6: Evaluate Compatibility and Workflow

Hiring the right artist involves more than just liking their work. You’ll be working closely with this person over weeks or months. Consider how they communicate, revise, and collaborate.

Important Compatibility Indicators:

• Responsiveness: Do they reply professionally and within a reasonable timeframe?

• Revisions Policy: Are they open to feedback and iteration, or rigid in their process?

• Collaborative Mindset: Do they ask thoughtful questions about your game’s world and mechanics?

• Reliability: Have they delivered other projects on time and with consistency?

Consider starting with a small test piece (e.g., a single card illustration) before committing to a larger contract. This lets both parties evaluate the working relationship in practice.

Step 7: Negotiate a Fair Contract

Once you’ve chosen your artist, formalize the collaboration through a clear, written agreement. This protects both parties and sets expectations for deliverables, ownership, and revisions.

A Standard Boardgame Art Contract Should Cover:

• Scope of work and asset list

• Timeline and delivery milestones

• Payment terms (e.g., flat rate, milestone-based)

• Usage rights and licensing (e.g., print, marketing, digital)

• Revisions and approval process

• Termination clauses

Avoid using informal agreements or relying on verbal promises. A solid contract ensures the project stays on track and avoids misunderstandings later on.

Common Mistakes When Hiring Artists for Boardgames

1. Choosing Based Solely on Price Hiring the cheapest artist can result in subpar art that weakens the product’s impact. Balance budget with quality and professionalism.

2. Ignoring the Artist’s Limitations Expecting a character artist to design your game board or icons may lead to poor results. Hire for the skill you need.

3. Overloading the Artist Without Direction Artists perform best with clear input. Avoid asking them to “just come up with something.” Share references, context, and mechanics.

4. Failing to Plan for Iteration Time Great art takes time. Build buffer periods for revisions and feedback cycles into your production schedule.

5. Hiring Without a Style Guide Lack of visual direction leads to mismatched assets. Even a basic style guide ensures cohesive results across all illustrations.

Conclusion

Choosing the right artist for your boardgame is not just a creative decision, it’s a strategic one. Art influences how your game is perceived, how it functions, and how successfully it reaches its audience. A well-matched digital artist elevates your vision, bringing depth, clarity, and emotion to every element of your game.

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Sonderflex Studio's visual design also considers the creative process with in-depth research into which remastered game values can and cannot be changed. Drop Sonderflex Studio a hello, and let's discuss further!