Background
This project was a writing-themed collector’s gift set developed around Varric Tethras from Dragon Age.
In the game, Varric is not only an adventurer, but also a writer and storyteller. Hard in Hightown is one of the works closely connected to his character. Based on that idea, the set was built around his identity as a writer, using items such as a quill, ink, notebook, ribbon, and metal details to turn that part of the game world into something fans could actually use and collect.
The goal was not simply to put several merchandise items into one box. The different materials and production methods had to come together under the same visual language, so the whole set would feel like it belonged to the same character and the same world.
Challenge
One of the biggest challenges was keeping the visual result consistent across different materials and production processes, while also meeting the quality and testing requirements of a collectible product.
The first challenge was color consistency.
The set mainly used gold, magenta, and black, but those colors had to appear across very different materials, including feathers, ribbon, leather, paper, and metal parts. The same color can look very different depending on the material, surface finish, and the way it reflects light.
So it was not just a matter of finding the right supplier or giving everyone the same color reference. It required a lot of color matching, supplier coordination, and sample comparison to make sure all the parts still looked consistent when they were finally put together.
The second challenge was the accuracy of the notebook cover.
The leather cover went through processes such as embossing and foil stamping, which could cause some compression or deformation in the material. At the same time, several metal decorations, graphics, and text elements had to be placed accurately on the same surface.
When so many details come together on one area, even a small shift can affect the final appearance. Keeping everything aligned through different production steps was one of the key challenges.
The third challenge was testing and compliance.
The set included many different materials, such as metal, leather, paper, feathers, ribbon, and ink. Ink in particular required extra attention. This meant the product involved several different testing requirements, and each material needed to be checked carefully to make sure the final product could pass the required tests and receive qualified reports.
What I did
At the beginning of the project, I did not immediately start looking for materials or suppliers. I first focused on understanding what really made the design work.
For me, the key was consistency. Even though the set was made up of many different parts, the customer should not open the box and feel like they were looking at a group of unrelated products. Everything needed to feel like it had been designed as one complete set from the beginning.
Because of that, I treated color consistency, material coordination, and the overall premium look as the main standards throughout development. Material selection, sampling, and production decisions were all made around that direction.
Color matching took a large amount of work.
The same magenta had to appear on completely different materials such as feathers, ribbon, and leather. This was not something that could be solved by simply sending suppliers one color code.
I collected physical samples from many suppliers, compared them side by side, and went through multiple rounds of screening and sampling. If there was no suitable stock color available, I arranged custom sampling and color adjustment until the different materials worked together visually.
The important part was that I was not judging each component by itself. A color might look correct on its own but still feel wrong once it was placed next to another material. So the final decision was always based on how the whole set looked together.
I also got involved in product testing early in the development process.
I communicated with testing agencies such as SGS to understand exactly which tests were required and what the limits were. I then brought those requirements back to the suppliers during material selection and sampling.
For example, if certain substances, parameters, or material contents had specific limits, I made those requirements clear before production started.
The idea was not to finish the product first and then send it for testing to see whether it passed. I wanted to remove as many risks as possible during development, so suppliers could provide suitable materials from the beginning. This helped reduce the risk of rework, repeated testing, extra cost, and lost time.
Another area I spent a lot of time on was how the components were fixed and presented inside the packaging.
The first impression matters a lot for a collectible product. I did not want to use too many visible ties, clips, or supporting parts just to hold everything in place. Those solutions might make assembly easier, but they could also distract from the product itself.
I tested and developed several assembly options, with a focus on fixing the products mainly from the back so that as little supporting structure as possible would be visible from the front.
The final solution kept the components secure while still giving the customer a clean and complete view of the product when the box was opened.
Overall, my role was to understand what the design was really trying to achieve, and then turn those ideas into practical requirements for materials, color, testing, and assembly.
Outcome
This project further demonstrated my ability to handle complex custom product development.
Whether the same color needs to be matched across completely different materials, or different colors need to be achieved through different materials and processes, I can work through material sourcing, color matching, sampling, and production adjustments to keep everything within the same design language.
For the client’s designers, this means they do not have to limit their ideas too early because of concerns about materials or manufacturing.
Some effects may look difficult to achieve when they first appear in a design file, but that does not necessarily mean they cannot be made. Many of those ideas can be worked through during product development by finding the right materials, processes, and production solutions.
For me, the value of this project was not only in delivering the final set. It was also about giving the client more confidence to explore their design ideas, knowing that I could help turn those ideas into real products.
