NILF

Released in 2025, NILF is a bold and strategic card game crafted for adults who enjoy wit, competition, and a touch of mischief. Featuring 58 beautifully illustrated character cards, the game centers around charming, lifelike neighbors that players cleverly woo into their bedrooms. Using a variety of gameplay cards—each with unique twists and tactical advantages—players race to collect seven neighbors first. NILF combines sharp strategy with playful humor for an unforgettable game night experience.

Project

Game Design, Packaging, UI

The Brief

The brief was to oversee the complete visual design and branding of the card game from concept through to final delivery. This included designing all 58 character and gameplay cards with a unified, striking aesthetic. The packaging was crafted to stand out on shelves, while the rule book was designed to be both visually engaging and easy to understand. A full suite of marketing collateral was produced for both print and digital use. Additionally, a high-converting funnel website was created to reflect the game's tone and direct customers to purchase the product on Amazon, ensuring a seamless user experience.

The Solution

To meet the brief, a distinctive photo-illustrational style was used for all character artwork, blending realism with playful exaggeration to reflect the game’s adult tone. The packaging design was intentionally minimal, placing focus on the bold branding and allowing the visuals to speak for themselves. The rule book followed a clean, intuitive layout that supported quick understanding of gameplay. A simple, focused funnel website was created, showcasing the card designs alongside eye-catching montaged graphics of the characters, all aimed at driving customer interest and directing traffic efficiently to the game’s Amazon purchase page.

Card Design

Illustrations were required for 58 unique and diverse characters, ranging from “Chad the Garage Band Musician” to “Courtney the Cougar” and “Mike the DILF.” The designs needed to reflect a broad age range of 20–50 and represent a mix of cultural backgrounds and lifestyles, incorporating a variety of hobbies and personalities. The client provided detailed character descriptions, which I brought to life in a fun, engaging, and realistic photo-illustrational style. In addition to character cards, I also illustrated a range of strategic gameplay cards, including Quickie, Heater, Cooler, and Cock Block cards, each designed to influence the game's outcome.

Packaging Design

The packaging design was an essential part of the project, with the client requesting a clean, modern aesthetic that aligned with the game's bold and cheeky tone. A minimalist approach was taken, using strong typography and a custom set of icons to reflect key game elements without overwhelming the design. The result was sleek and visually engaging, allowing the branding to take center stage while still hinting at the playful and strategic nature of the game inside.

Marketing Visuals

Marketing visuals were designed to be bold, eye-catching, and consistent with the game’s playful tone. They were optimized for use across multiple platforms, including Amazon and the client’s website, ensuring strong visual impact and brand recognition wherever they appeared.

This was my first time working with Ross and it was a card game project requiring a lot of artwork. Being unfamiliar with the digital art world, I relied heavily on his expertise and keen eye to bring our card game to life. Outside of being an incredibly talented artist, he was also responsive, thoughtful and quick with revisions. I will definitely enlist Ross to help us in future projects.

KERI KAISER – CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | RCPT GAMES

Rule Book

The rule book was designed as a four-fold A4 DL leaflet, offering a compact and user-friendly format. The layout was clean and visually engaging, using icons, bold headings, and step-by-step instructions to ensure clarity. The design aligned with the game's branding while making gameplay easy to learn at a glance.

Website Design

The client also commissioned me to design a dedicated website for the product’s 2025 launch. Using the marketing visuals developed throughout the project, I created an engaging, on-brand funnel page designed to capture attention and drive sales. The layout was optimized for both desktop and mobile, ensuring a smooth user experience.