Introducing: @nateaguila, Creative Director

We are excited to shed some light on one of the key team members that is helping to shape the look and feel of the Steem Monsters game. It didn't take long for @yabapmatt and @aggroed to realize that it was necessary to bring on an experienced creative professional who could help elevate the game from alpha stage to widespread adoption.

The role would require a passion for the fantastical, an analytical mindset, the ability to communicate with clarity and enthusiasm, and a wizardly deep knowledge of all things Design.

Today, Steem Monsters is proud to introduce our Creative Director, @nateaguila! If you want to get the behind-the-scenes scoop for how certain aspects of the game are being designed, you've come to the right tavern!

Come. Take a seat by the hearth. Grab yourself an ale. Lean closer, and take care to remember the Tale of Nate. Someday, the story may save your life...

Steem Monsters: Thanks for joining us! We heard that bandits were causing trouble through the pass leading into town. Hopefully, you had no trouble on the way.

Nate: Not from bandits. Goblins, actually. Um, I dunno if you noticed, but there's an arrow in my arm. It really hurts. Maybe there's a doctor...? Or, hell I dunno. There's an arrow. It's in my arm.

Steem Monsters: That's great. We're happy to have you.

Nate: And I'm bleeding. My clothes. My...what is this? A cape?

Steem Monsters: Your cloak?

Nate: Whatever. It's got my blood on it. I'm dripping everywhere.

Steem Monsters: So tell us about yourself.

Nate: Huh?

Steem Monsters: You know. Your background. What role you play in game development.

Nate: THERE'S AN ARROW STICKING OUT OF MY BODY!

Steem Monsters: Don't worry about that.

Nate: I'm going to be sick. Are we even in the U.S.? Why did I have to be blindfolded?

Steem Monsters: We'll have a cleric of the light put hands on you.

Nate: I don't need a massage, crazy cult person! I need medical treatment!

Steem Monsters (whispering): we'llputboostersinyourpurse.

Nate: ...what?

Steem Monsters: Your purse. We'll--

Nate: It's a satchel.

Steem Monsters: Okay, but isn't that the same--

Nate: No! It's NOT! Think Indiana friggin' JONES, man! It's a satchel.

Steem Monsters: We'll provide you with rations and coins of silver and bronze.

Nate: No, you said Boosters. I want booster packs.

Steem Monsters: Very well. Booster packs you shall have.

Nate: Hurry up. I'm getting light headed. Blood loss.

Steem Monsters: How did you get involved in the Steem Monsters project?

Nate: Welp, I had already worked with @yabapmatt on various projects before this. He's an awesome guy. A great Steem Witness, always trying to develop new ways to make Steem better. I was grateful for the chance to be involved. Of course, I had no idea that there would be arrows involved...

Steem Monsters: What's your background?

Nate: I grew up on comics, fantasy, and sci-fi. I loved drawing, writing, and creative gaming. Over time, my creative passion was inspired by all the late night table top sessions, card games, and too much EverQuest. Illustration evolved into Graphic Design, then into Multimedia and UX/UI, soon morphing into managing projects for web and mobile.

During the day, I'm a Creative Director for a DevOps agency that provides support for ICO and Token Sale projects. On nights and weekends, I'm neck deep in monster parts.

Steem Monsters: What type of tools do you utilize when creating new content for Steem Monsters?

Nate: I'm a big fan of starting off vector, so I usually begin with Adobe Illustrator. Over time, you'll start to see new card designs, stats, abilities, and graphics that were all conceived from within Illustrator.

From there, those shapes and icons can be exported to other programs like Photoshop, XD, Animate, or After Effects. Or converted into formats like PNG or SVG to be directly applied as web graphics.

Steem Monsters: What type of stuff are you currently working on?

Nate: We just finished some card templates for a new element type. Same thing with the new "foil" edition gold cards. As of right now, I'm currently looking at developing a cohesive branding strategy and bits of UX/UI for the website.

Steem Monsters: Did you do any of the creature artwork that we see on the cards?

Nate: Nope, that's not me, although I'm going to be conceptualizing some different art styles to reflect card progression or perhaps the next line of cards. It's up to @aggroed to decide if it's a no or go. I'm pretty excited by some of the possibilities.

Steem Monsters: What do you think of @aggroed?

Nate: He's a beast. I'm not sure if he sleeps. He might be a robot. Or maybe he was injected with some sorta gamma radiation fueled nanotechnology? He has so many ideas and so many ambitious plans. It's hard to keep up with the guy! Most of the time, I'm collaborating with @yabbapmatt on how to best support development tasks.

Steem Monsters: Will you be posting any cool content for Steem Monsters fans to look at or read about?

Nate: Absolutely! I haven't yet figured out the schedule, but I'll be sure to find a groove that's doable. You can expect some fun nuggets to start dropping soon.

Steem Monsters: Can you share anything with us today?

Nate: Uh, sure. Here's some card concepts, so you guys can see part of the creative process.

Steem Monsters: Wow, that's pretty cool!

Nate: For sure. And that's just the tip of the iceburg. Prepare yourselves for a crazy ride. Steem Monsters is going to become so visually spectacular and addictively engaging that you'll need to hire someone to shovel food in your mouth and change the bucket under your seat. You'll literally be glued to your computer screen. So apologies ahead..of... time...

Steem Monsters: Are you okay?

Nate: ...

Steem Monsters: Did he faint?

Nate: ...

Steem Monsters: I guess that is a lot of blood.

Thank You for your continued support!

Steem Monsters Contact Info

Official Account: @steemmonsters
Website: https://steemmonsters.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/CAFJRjY