Insert Design services

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We work with a wide range of game creators and publishers to design inserts for their games. We have designed inserts for small crowdfunded games that raised less than $50,000, as well as major hits such as Frosthaven and Machina Arcana. The majority of our clients are smaller game developers and publishers who want something better than the stock insert that the manufacturer will provide. 

We have designed inserts using a variety of materials including vac-formed plastic, customer assembled punchboard, wood, and MDF. For game creators and publishers we strongly recommend either vac-formed plastic or punchboard. Wood and MDF are best for after-market insert companies. 

 We also are a design-only shop and can not produce prototypes or physical inserts. However, if your project requires prototyping, we can provide the 3D files in a variety of formats that can be sent to a rapid prototyping shop for manufacturing. Once the final design is developed, we continue to work with the manufacturer until the game is produced. Often during the manufacturing process, components need to change and so the insert will change. 

We recognize that our customers are, for the most part, operating in a market with very thin profit margins and we want to make our services accessible to everyone. Our fee schedule reflects this reality. For games that are going to be launched on a crowdfunding site, our fee is determined by the revenue raised and shown below:

1. Under $500,000 the fee is a copy of the game*
2. Between $500,000 and $1,000,000 the fee is $100 per $100,000 raised and a copy of the game*. So, raising $501,000 results in a fee of $500 and a copy of the game*
3. Over $1,000,000 the fee is $1,000 and a copy of the game*

For games not launched through crowdfunding, the fee is $1,000, and a copy of the game*

The design process generally takes a few weeks to several months depending on the complexity of the game. For a simple game with a single tray, the initial design can be completed in about a week. For a multi-tray big box design, it can take several months. Below are the factors that increase the design time:

1. Minis. In general, our design tools are not capable of designing for extensive use of minis. We can allocate space that the manufacturer can use for the minis, but a game with more than 10 minis and more than 5 sculpts will be difficult and time-consuming.
2. Multiple trays. When thinking about the design time, it is critical to think in terms of the number of trays. Each tray adds design time. The more trays, the greater the amount of time required. So a 2 tray design is usually 2x a 1 tray design, a 3 tray design is usually 3.5x a 1 tray design, and a 4 tray design is 5x a 1 tray design.  
3. Manufacturers. Some manufacturers dramatically increase the time and difficulty of the insert design. The most difficult is Gameland. The easiest are Meija, LongPack, and Panda. 

To start the design process, we need the following items:

1. Box Size
2. Component list with dimensions
3. Rulebook

For more information, please contact us.

 *A copy of the game is defined as the highest 'Gameplay' pledge level offered, including all stretch goals, any deluxe components, playmats, and shipping. The fee does not include any "vanity pledge levels" or non-playable add-ons. Examples of vanity pledge levels include items like becoming a character in the game, playing with the creator, autographed boxes, etc. Examples of non-playable add-ons are tee shirts, art books, and other items that are not used to play the game.