Daniel Solis

Daniel Solis is a multitalented game designer, graphic designer, and art director in the tabletop gaming industry. He is the founder of Smart Play Games, an imprint dedicated to creating fun games with educational potential.13

Professional Background

Daniel Solis has over 20 years of experience in graphic design and art direction, with about half of that time spent in the tabletop game industry.2 His career path includes:

• Creative director in advertising for a few years
• Freelance graphic designer and art director for tabletop games
• Founder of Smart Play Games
• Art director for various game projects, including the Firefly role-playing game4

Game Design and Self-Publishing

Solis has been involved in game design and self-publishing for many years. Some key aspects of his work include:

• Designing and self-publishing small card games through print-on-demand services like DriveThruCards
• Creating a new board game every week for several months as a personal challenge3
• Balancing self-publishing with pursuing traditional publishing for larger game projects1

Graphic Design and Art Direction

As a graphic designer and art director, Solis emphasizes the importance of clarity and consistency in game design. He uses various tools and approaches in his work:

• Adobe Suite for digital design
• Prototyping with scraps of paper in plastic card sleeves
• Collaborating with illustrators, often seeking artists new to the tabletop industry1

Notable Projects

Some of the games Solis is particularly proud of include:

• Spirits of the Rice Paddy
• Chimera Station
• Trickster (as art director)1

Daniel Solis continues to work in the tabletop gaming industry, combining his skills in game design, graphic design, and art direction to create innovative and engaging games.