by Darryl
Cuba is a straight-up Euro themed around shipping goods. It's a good game (though it is a bit clunky in gameplay) and is boosted by its El Presidente expansion. Of course, the amazing artwork helps sell it - Michael Menzel is at the top of his game as he uses vivid colours to evoke a tropical atmosphere. The cheerful blue car on the box cover is a whole lot more inviting than a grumpy man staring back at you.Now, I love minimalist posters, such as the redesigns of movie posters, and not forgetting these fantastic board game posters. Here's my attempt at designing a minimalist poster/box cover for Cuba:
It's a departure from the bright tones of the game's artwork, but it's meant to capture my initial impressions when I first read about Cuba - a gritty game of corrupt businessmen lounging around, smoking cigars and plotting how to rig laws in their favour. I thought the blurb of 'cigar, rum and power' is quite precise in describing Cuba's distinguishing thematic features, so I wanted those elements represented. Of course, what actually takes place in the game isn't quite as dark, but I do like imagining myself in that position once in a while.
Realistically, the newspaper headlines should be in Spanish, but the message would have been lost to most people. The newspapers could have been a bit bigger, and the blurb below the headlines can't be read unless it's viewed at its original size too. It's not quite minimalist, but I'm quite pleased with the overall composition and level of details that went in.
These redesigns are pretty fun, and I hope to take another shot at it some other time!