I first got into Magic: The Gathering after graduating from college when one of my best friends moved to LA, and we became roommates. He played it growing up, and I always loved the artwork, so it was easy to dive in. Years later, I was thrilled when Wizards of the Coast approached Capacity to design their Magic Pro League esports package as they launched Arena.
One challenge that online competitive card games face is showing each player's hands. Unlike other designs with a static display area at the top, we developed the idea to slide the top player's screen up and down to reveal his play area along with his hand for MTG.
The layouts were designed to apply any Magic background to any scene and still be legible and functional. We also suggested matching the background of the card being featured or the player's deck being used.
Another fun challenge was visually showing what's in a deck and having multiple options to get a visual sense, and then again written out, featuring cards one at a time.
This incredibly fulfilling project will hopefully help me get one step closer to my dream of one day making art for a Magic: The Gathering card. It would be exciting to carry through our designs into full animation with transitions and living holds.
Studio: Capacity
Creative Director: Ellerey Gave, Benji Thiem
Art Direction: Jonathan Larson
3D backgrounds: Benji Thiem
