UNDOING RUIN
OVERVIEW:
Undoing Ruin is a comprehensive tabletop RPG publication set within a richly developed dystopian sci-fi world. As the lead designer, I developed a user-friendly visual system that balanced the project's distinctive aesthetic with readability, information hierarchy, and functional clarity across print and digital formats.
The project combines typography, structured layouts, data-dense tables, and visual storytelling to help players navigate complex gameplay information while remaining immersed in the world. The experience later expanded into supplementary print and digital materials, creating a more accessible entry point for new players.
DATE
May 2023 - April 2025
ROLE
Graphic Designer
DELIVERABLES
Publication Design • Information Design • Typography • Layout Systems • Data Tables • Print & Digital Assets
An immersive, richly detailed dystopian sci-fi world tabletop in a grim, visually captivating universe.
CHALLENGES:
Developing a typographic system that aligned with the client’s vision—blending dystopian sci-fi and cyberpunk influences—while maintaining high readability and hierarchy across long-form content.
Adapting the layout system to work effectively across print and digital formats, ensuring the physical book retained its visual impact while the digital version supported clear, intuitive on-screen navigation.
Designing data-dense tables that balanced visual interest and usability, presenting critical gameplay information clearly without feeling cluttered or overwhelming.
DESIGN GOALS:
Collaborate with the client and multidisciplinary team—including writers, editors, designers, and playtesters—to ensure design decisions supported the player experience without introducing unnecessary cognitive load.
Create a format-agnostic publication system that maintained clarity, usability, and visual consistency across print and digital formats.
Develop an accessible entry point for new players through supporting materials, gameplay examples, character information, and campaign content.
Balance readability, aesthetics, and navigation so the publication functioned as both a reference tool and immersive world-building resource.
Layout & System Exploration:
I developed a series of prototype layouts before establishing the guidebook's final page system. Working closely with the client, I explored and refined a typographic system that reflected the project's dystopian sci-fi identity while maintaining strong readability across varied content.
We iterated on page structures and table systems tailored to different types of gameplay information, establishing visual consistency, hierarchy, and clarity throughout the publication.
Special attention was given to integrating imagery within long-form and information-dense content, using intentional placement, scale, and spacing to establish visual rhythm, support navigation, and sustain reader engagement.
Prototype pages for client review before laying out master pages for drafting the guidebook's layouts.
Outcome & Reflection:
Undoing Ruin strengthened my experience in transforming complex, information-heavy content into a structured visual system that supports both usability and storytelling. Collaborating with the client and multidisciplinary team reinforced the importance of iteration, stakeholder feedback, and clear information hierarchy when developing a system intended for different users and formats.
The project also expanded my approach to designing within constraints, balancing creative direction with readability, consistency, production requirements, and user needs across both print and digital experiences.
