Visual Communication - Bachelor

Whispers of the Grove

'Whispers of the Grove' is a visual branding and communication design project that embodies the essence of whimsical mystery at the core of story-driven philosophy. The project reimagines new ways for narrative board games to connect with players, integrating gameplay mechanics into a cohesive experience with an emotionally significant visual identity.

Nostalgic, spooky and playful mystery inspired by a blend of Scooby-Doo and Gravity Falls helped create the visual style of this project. Every aspect was designed with the intent to elicit the endearing feeling of being lost in a unique and lovely forest full of mysterious creatures.

Hannah Corrie

GAME BOARD

The game board for Whispers of the Grove includes a winding forest path leading players on a fun yet creepy trek towards the centre and the mystery of the cryptid. Some of the tiles on the path prompt players to draw clue and creature cards to foreshadow the monsters lurking in the game, while adding suspense and discovery to the odds and possibilities of the game. The board has a mix of painted and cartoon styles with forest colours and tones and subtle textures, establishing a playful spirit of adventure that has an element of creepiness and tension. There is a clear visual flow of movement around the board with marker tiles of different colours and shapes for visual wayfinding that help players locate themselves as they advance around the board and experience the narrative experience supported with visual elements.

CHARACTERS

Serving as player markers, the standees act as both functional pieces of the experience and emotionally connect with the brand’s philosophy of translating “narrative meets tactility” into tangible objects.

They direct towards Lunewell’s ambition to create tabletop experiences that are lively, expressive, emotional and real—transforming a mundane board piece movement mechanism into little moments of storytelling every time a player takes a turn.

Creature & Clue Cards

These polaroid-like cards turns an aspect of gameplay into a storytelling experience. The creature cards introduce whimsical cryptids with a balance of warmth and mystery, while the clue cards immerse the players further with their hand-held camera style, depicting the environment of the board game.

CLUE TRACKER SHEET

The clue tracker sheet is an important aspect of Lunewell Games’ storytelling philosophy, a fusion of clarity of narrative with player-centred immersion. Intended for Whispers of the Grove, the clue tracker sheet takes conventional note-taking and makes it participatory, encouraging players not just to document while playing, but allowing it to become part of the mystery of finding out what the cryptid is in the narrative.

Reflected in visual language, the tracker sheet aligns with the brand’s whimsical yet creepy tone, as the user sees an earthy green palette and a misty background of a twilight forest, all of which is designed to visually immerse the player in the setting.

Box

Hannah Corrie

Hannah Corrie is a Queensland-based Character Artist and Illustrator, giving back to the community by creating character concepts for virtual content creators and bringing life to their chatrooms with 2D assets. In close contact with the client, sketch to rendering, making sure that their ideal outcome and vision are met. My creative approach: for my works to reflect and immerse viewers into new and engaging worlds