u/DonBeanGames

Hi everyone,

I'm an indie game designer launching a tactical American football board game called FIRST DOWN on Kickstarter this autumn. I'm looking for one illustrator/graphic designer to create the key visual artwork.

WHAT I NEED

1. Box cover (front, sides, and back)

2. Game board artwork (a stadium / football field layout)

I have reference images and a clear concept for both. You would work from my layout direction, but bring your own illustration and style. The reference images show the composition I want, not a style to copy exactly.

STYLE

- Theme: American football, cinematic, premium sports look

- Think Sports Illustrated covers or NFL playoff posters

- Color palette: navy blue, field green, gold accents, white

- Quality reference: premium board game covers like Wingspan or Twilight Imperium

IMPORTANT: NO AI-GENERATED ARTWORK

This is a firm requirement. The work must be original illustration, hand-made or photo-composited from properly licensed sources. I need to be transparent about production methods for my Kickstarter campaign. Please be ready to show work-in-progress sketches as proof of an original process.

DELIVERABLES

- Print-ready files (CMYK, 300 DPI, with bleed)

- Layered source files (PSD or AI)

- Web exports (JPG/PNG) for the campaign page

- Full commercial usage rights with full transfer of rights

- 2 rounds of revisions

BUDGET

Up to $1200 USD total for box (front + sides + back) and game board. This includes full commercial rights. I am collecting quotes to compare, so if your rate differs, tell me your real price and what scope it covers. I would rather know upfront than waste your time.

PAYMENT

Payment via PayPal. I'm open to a milestone split: a percentage on agreement, the remainder on final delivery of print-ready files. Happy to discuss what structure works for you.

TIMELINE

Flexible, roughly 4 to 5 weeks. First drafts within 2 to 3weeks ideally.

TO APPLY, PLEASE COMMENT OR DM WITH

1. Portfolio link (sports illustration, board game art, or cinematic poster work preferred)

2. Confirmation that you work without AI generation

3. Your quote and what scope it covers (full package, or per item)

4. Rough timeline based on your current workload

Thanks for reading. Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Indie designer here, prepping for September Kickstarter launch of FIRST

DOWN (tactical American football board game).

Just got quotes from two manufacturers for 1500 units:

- LongPack: $27,500 (~$6.20 avg per game)

- Panda Games: $45,000 (~$10.30 avg per game)

LongPack is 65% cheaper. That's a $17,500 difference, which is significant

for a solo dev with a $40k funding goal.

Both quotes are detailed and itemized. My fulfillment partner

(GamesQuest) suggested LongPack. So far I've found public references for

LongPack producing Santorini, Everdell, Kingdomino, Grand Austria Hotel,

Raiders of the North Sea - all solid.

But the quality jump from "Panda quality" to "LongPack quality" is what

I cannot judge without holding samples from both. Pre-production samples

cost real money and time before the campaign.

What I'd love to hear:

1. Anyone here who actually produced their own KS game with LongPack?

   How was the quality compared to expectations?

2. Was the communication during production smooth, or did issues come

   up (delays, component quality, color matching)?

3. Did your backers comment on the quality positively/negatively?

4. Would you use them again?

Not asking for trade secrets, just real experience. Happy to share my

own quote data if useful for your own comparisons.

Thanks in advance.