Game Changers
About the project
In 2021, while working as a graphic designer at Mothership Strategies, I embarked on a project that would become Game Changers, the first graphic novel chronicling the agency's history.
Project details
The project was born out of a need to enhance the onboarding process and strengthen team cohesion within the organization. Recognizing that traditional onboarding methods often lack engagement, we aimed to create a dynamic tool that would effectively communicate the company’s values and mission. By utilizing captivating illustrated and animated narratives, the project seeks to not only immerse new members in the organization’s journey but also foster a deeper connection to its culture.
The purpose
Design agency: Mothership Strategies
Date: Jan 2021 - Oct 2021
Role: Lead Illustrator, Creative Director
Step 1: Moodboard
I always begin by creating mood boards to visualize the big picture. Sometimes, I make multiple boards to categorize different ideas. This method is the simplest and most effective way to collect a wide range of inspirations and see what stands out. From there, I can determine the direction I want to take. Additionally, I often make numerous doodle sketches during this process. This step always brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from James Victore: “Learn everything. Forget everything. And then design.”
This is not the original mood board. It has been cleaned up and adjusted for demonstration.
Step 2: Character design
It's crucial for me to identify the heroes of the story so I can put myself in their shoes and experience their journey. Therefore, I aim to begin this step as soon as possible. After three rounds of revision, I gradually shift from the original style to a new one.
The evolution of character design
Step 3: Storyboarding and sketching
After testing several layouts, I decided on a two-section design for each page with no clear separation and text flowing across. The first storyboard began like this: Page 1, Section 1: "After 6 and a half years, Greg left DCCC to start his own thing." Section 2: "He wanted Jake to be his equal partner."
With this framework, I started making rough sketches. Initially, I created thumbnail sketches, then moved to larger, more detailed ones. As I grew accustomed to the process, I often visualized sketches in my head and progressed to the next step more quickly.
Watch the video to see the timelapse of creating pages 1 and 2 from start to finish ➡️
Step 4: Coloring
Coloring is the most enjoyable part of the process. Now it's time to let my imagination soar. Finally, I added the text and completed the project with detailed cleanup.
Challenges and solutions
For long-term projects, it's essential to establish and stick to a routine. "Be true to your words, be patient, and be proud of your creation." Recognizing that these projects require months of commitment, I aimed to keep them exciting over time.
From the project's start, I created a fitting routine: presenting my progress every Tuesday without fail. This habit rewarded me with a sense of achievement and ensured consistent progress.
How to make a long story short
At the very beginning, to simplify the story, we divided the script into three phases. The novel originally had 3 phases. However, after the first review with the leader team, we agreed Jaime Harrison was too important to not be included. It was certainly not easy to reconstruct a construction with everything already fit together. Nevertheless, I took one brick out of a time, added one more page to phase 3, and ended the book with phase 4 for Harrison. It was really helpful that puzzle is one of my favorite games.
The beginning is always the hardest part
The first two pages (phase 1) were the most challenging because, although I had a clear direction, the execution method was still unclear. Using the existing MS brand color scheme, I developed a more vibrant palette to convey a modern and positive look. Once I overcame this initial phase, the rest of the process became smoother and easier.
Embrace the color game
As I moved into the second phase, I aimed to develop a richer palette rather than relying solely on blue shades. While I was confident in my ability to work with black and white or monochromatic hues, I knew that each phase needed a slightly different palette. A variety of colors could better convey different stages, meanings, and emotions. Therefore, I introduced warmer tones like salmon, brown, and sunset purple. After extensive color testing and pairing, I discovered combinations that complemented each other perfectly. Seeing the finished pages was incredibly satisfying.
How did I come up with the metaphors?
It was a lengthy process of exploring endless political, surreal, thought-provoking, and satirical materials, including illustrations, art, articles, commercials, and documentaries. I absorbed them all.
The first metaphor I used was an image of puzzle pieces. I can't remember how I came up with it, but I knew I wanted to revisit it later. This metaphor represented the company's growth from seven staff members at the beginning to nearly 100 employees during the 2016 election. Although the MS picture expands each year, I intentionally left it unfinished, symbolizing the many great opportunities, talented individuals, and new clients awaiting us in the future.
On the next page, I introduced a metaphor of the Democrat donkey versus the Republican elephant. In the original sketch, the elephant's trunk hung down over the House. However, in the final illustration, I decided not to make it appear more overwhelming than our donkey.
Zoom in details of page 3 and page 4
Two heads are better than one
Page 5 marked a significant milestone for Mothership as they transitioned from primarily working on House Campaigns to Online Fundraising. This pivotal change earned them the title "Game Changers," and I wanted to dedicate the entire page to this special moment. By 2016, Mothership had grown to 35 staff members and 8 teams. When I read this, I immediately envisioned a magical growing tree, symbolizing how, with care, dedication, and devotion, Mothership grows stronger and faster every day.
During this part, I encountered another challenge. Many political terms were difficult for me to interpret. I shared my struggles with my manager, and we sat down to analyze the script together. Thanks to her help, I returned to my iPad with a handful of visual examples and a much clearer mind.
ECU exploded onto the scene in early 2015. I wanted to depict a high contrast between a huge, dark, evil Republican figure and an animated and vibrant group of protestors. Luckily illustrating dark and evil figures is my forte. Indeed I felt like a fish in the water when working on horror-related elements.
Phase 3 opened with Trump’s victory, many things were changing for the next cycle. The image of the pendulum was mentioned in the script which gave me a huge advantage to develop more ideas from it. Mothership hired aggressively in 2017. And during this time, Jon Ossoff came to the scene.
Less is more
The biggest challenge in this section was managing the abundance of information and data from Ossoff’s campaign and the 2018 Mothership. The overlap of some details made it even more complex. To address this, I first identified the key highlights and excluded less significant details. Then, I sought more visual examples to diversify the imagery and create a more engaging infographic.
Connect the new to the old
They regained control of the House in 2018. Initially, these two pages were not connected because the Biden 2020 section was added later when we included Jaime Harrison. After the first review, we decided that Harrison's campaign was a crucial part of Mothership's history and shouldn't be omitted. I revisited the draft and made a new plan. The main challenge was: "How can I integrate them seamlessly?" I started with the Telescope, as it was the featured product for President Biden's fundraising program. Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to extend the telescope a bit onto the previous page? This way, it looks like we're projecting from 2018 to 2020." This became one of my favorite pages.
Last but certainly not least, Jaime Harrison joined the Mothership narrative later, yet his contribution is equally significant. I wanted to feature both Ossoff and Harrison on the final page, concluding the story with Jon's victory. By having both of them looking up, I aimed to create a heroic moment.
After 32 weeks, the novel has finally come to an end, spanning a total of 16 pages. As with any long-term project I've worked on, it feels like saying goodbye to a great friend. If you've made it this far, I want to thank you for your time and interest in this project.
Wrap up
From illustrated narrative to animation
In October of 2022, our team successfully brought the graphic novel to life. Now both the book and video have been implemented as an onboarding resource. I want to dedicate this ending to my incredibly talented design team at Mothership Strategies who has put a lot of hard work into making this project happen.
Animation credits:
Animator: Kevin Paz Ramos (paz-ramos.myportfolio.com)
Narrator: Aykys Salchak
