UMCU x Detroit Lions board game
Summer 2023 Brand and Marketing Intern
2023 Summer, I was a brand and marketing intern at the University of Michigan Credit Union (UMCU). One of my biggest projects for the summer is creating a tangible item that is low-cost, engaging, and long-lasting item for children who visit the Ford Field Detroit Lions Cub Club, a UMCU-branded area within Detroit’s Ford Field that children often enjoy for photo opportunities and play.
DURATION: 2.5 months
TOOLS: Illustrator
ROLE: Graphic/product designer
TEAM: Brand and Marketing team
TASK: Creating a low cost, engaging, and long-lasting item for children who visits the Ford Field Detroit Lions Cub Club.
OUTCOME: My proposal for the game board was approved by the C-Board and selected to be prominently showcased with printed copies at Ford Field, a stadium that welcomes up to a staggering 70,000 spectators during each football game.
The problem
How do we increase our staying power in Ford Field Detroit Lions Cub Club?
BACKGROUND
UMCU (University of Michigan Credit Union) has a space in Ford Field where children often enjoy for photo opportunities and play. UMCU sponsors the Detroit Lions Cub club, which caters to a youthful audience, typically children aged up to 14, often accompanied by their parents. While it's the parents who hold the potential to open debit accounts, our primary focus here is to craft an engaging item that captures the attention of the kids. By doing so, we aim to ensure that the children take our branded product home, creating awareness of our brand among the parents through their children's enjoyment.
Ideation
Knowing that our target audience would be children, the questions I begin with are...
What would children like and that the parents would be willing to take home?
-Something small that does not take the whole living room: Fidget spinners/slime/plushies/play sets/pop it (reusable bubble wrap)/ Pokemon cards/ interactive board game
Within that what are some items that we can infuse with UMCU branding?
In fidget spinners- we can put the lions logo on one side and UMCU’s on the other
Character design UMCU and Detroit Lions mascot plushies that kids can put on their bed
Board game - infusing both football, Detroit Lions, and UMCU elements
Hypothesis research
According to research, kids nowadays mostly rely on tablets to play digital games and play videos. The challenge now is to make our item exceptionally appealing and captivating, encouraging kids to choose it over their digital pastimes. How can we ensure that the item we've crafted becomes a preferred choice for kids, surpassing the allure of digital games?
Board game?
Pros
Parents most likely would play the board game with children, building brand awareness
Long-Lasting Engagement: extended playtime, keeping the brand in front of customers
Memorability: associating the brand with positive experiences.
Customization/ Targeted Promotion: would be able to incorporate branding & messaging.
Cons
Complexity: Creating a board game that is easy to understand and enjoyable can be challenging.
Plushies?
Pros
Customization
Emotional Connection: offering a sense of comfort and companionship for children.
Cons
Costs: Creating custom plushies can be expensive
Storage and Distribution: Storing and distributing plushies in large quantities can be logistically challenging and costly.
Parents would be less likely to engage with it so it would not help with brand awareness
Fidget spinners?
Pros
Catered to the young audience
Usefulness: served as stress-relief tools, potentially providing long-term utility
Cons
Cost: Producing customized fidget spinners could be costly, especially if the trend waned before the investment paid off
Parents would be less likely to engage with it so it would not help with brand awareness
Proposal
Board games since it had high engagement, low cost, and flexibility in customization. I suggested a revamp of traditional board games and incorporating UMCU and Detroit Lions branding.
I presented my proposal to the marketing team, and received their approval
With their approval, I dove into action…
Design Challenges
Some setbacks... The intricate folding concept was not approved. The decision was based on concerns about increased production costs.
Design constraints
Restricted color palette. How do we make it captivating for kids with a limited color palette?
Incorporate visually stimulating illustrations and graphics that resonate with the target age group.
Has to be easy for children to understand
Using easy terminology and make the rules as simple as possible!
Action items
Football and banking are two concepts. How do we incorporate banking elements with football?
Using basic football terminology like a false start, kick-off, graphics of coins, and piggy banks.
How do we let people learn more about UMCU through this board game?
QR Codes that adults or kids can scan to learn more.
Dices
Kids could easily lose dice. Foldable dice require glue. As dice are a crucial part of the game, how do we resolve this?
A QR code for them to scan to access a digital dice.
Research
Existing board games that others utilize as marketing materials?
Target’s design↗.
During one Christmas season, Target introduced a unique marketing campaign featuring a board game as a promotional item. This board game was creatively packaged alongside a gift card. The design was adorned with charming illustrations by DON & RYAN CLARK and included straightforward instructions that were easily understandable for children. It featured a simple and engaging color scheme, primarily using Target's signature red, along with adorable character designs. The presence of Target's logo seamlessly integrated into the overall design made it unmistakably clear that this delightful creation was indeed a product of Target.
What elements of the board game captivate children’s attention?
Using gaming principles: Promoting flexibility and dynamism by offering multiple paths to success motivates children and rewards their progress.
Goals are achievable
Rules are simple
The game should be well-designed for visual appeal and ease of interpreting.
Good interaction
Guidelines on how to write board game rules for children?
SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE
Board game designs that I liked? What do they have in common?
Simplistic, easy to learn and understand, straightforward, visually appealing, not a whole of color that distracts me, don’t need a rule book
Football terminology that I can use?
As a person with minimal football knowledge, I had to look it up: Kickoff, field goal, touchdown, extrapoint, fumble, interception, sack, offsides, false start, holding, fask mask, illegal contact…
Drafts & Feedback
They liked it!
I tried experimenting with a gradient background, however, I did not like it. It seemed muddy and puddle-like.
Iterations
Green background seemed too busy with a bunch of elements
Changed background, played around with the gradient background making it solid and deleted elements, made characters bigger
Colors are not working and the composition can be stronger
Changed color scheme & Moved elements around
" I like flowers, but I don't see how it fits into the context"
“ I like it’d be awesome to include Roary (The Detroit Lions Mascot)”
“How do we incorporate more branding, theres a lot of football, but not a lot of UMCU”
Using the feedback I…
Designed a cartoon version of Roary and added Roary to the airplane
Changed elements
Enhanced brand identity
Presenting…
Reflection
Things that I learned
To be proactive, it's crucial to conduct thorough research before making decisions in order to substantiate my design choices. Additionally, it's important not to hesitate when it comes to addressing higher-ups and sharing ideas or concerns.
What I would do differently…
I would seek more feedback during the early stages to refine my draft and prevent any unnecessary time wasted. I wish I had documented the small changes I made, and I also wish I had initiated this process earlier, allowing me to witness the results at Ford Field before the conclusion of my internship.
My biggest challenge was…
Balancing graphic design, illustration, and functionality is essential. It's vital to keep in mind that my design's primary purpose is to enhance functionality, rather than focusing solely on aesthetics.
My favorite part was…
Seeing people’s reaction to it! Everybody on the team loved the design!
Navigating the color palette and resolving design challenges brought me a sense of satisfaction.