Design, illustration, creative direction, & publishing
tabletop games, visual identities, books, and maps
Client Testimonials
Michael Gnade, Founder of Rock Manor Games
T.L. Simons is one of the easiest graphic designers and illustrators I have ever worked with. He showed a passion and earnest interest in our game that came through in his exemplary work. One of my favorite things about T.L. is that once you get on his calendar, he is super focused on your project, sending updates and is super responsive so that he can hit deadlines.
Taylor Samuelson, Communications Director at The Coastal Conservancy
I’ve worked with T.L. Simons for several years on projects ranging from logo design, web development, rebranding and print materials and his work consistently exceeds my expectations. T.L.’s creativity, vision and technical excellence has helped us bring projects to life, translating concepts and ideas into gorgeous, impactful design. He is a joy to work with too – professional, insightful, responsive to client feedback and accommodating of unexpected curveballs!
Brian Van Slyke, Director of Games, Sales, and Communications at TESA Collective
T.L. was a pleasure to work with from start to finish! We worked with him to develop the graphic design and art for our game STRIKE! Not only did he come up with fantastic illustrations, he actually helped with the world building: fleshing out the city the game takes place in, the characters, and the aesthetic from top to bottom. The experience of working with T.L. was easy and fun, and players have had nothing but great things to say about the art. We are so pleased with his work, and we would highly recommend him to anyone looking to bring their game to life through rich illustration and effective design.
Interviews & Press
- Mapping History with Long Lost Oakland, By Beatrice Kilat, East Bay Express
- Dan Thurot Interviews T.L. Simons & Greg Loring-Albright for Space Biff
- T.L. Simons and Greg Loring-Alrbight on Bloc by Bloc: Uprising, The Cardboard Herald
- T.L. Simons on Bloc by Bloc, Game Design Roundtable
- Bloc by Bloc Brings Uprising to Your Living Room, The Guardian
- Creating the Visual World of STRIKE! The Game of Worker Rebellion, By TESA Collective
- Interview with the Artist of Dungeon Decorators, By Slugfest Games
History
When I was a teenager at the turn of the millennium, I taught myself basic publication design in order to publish underground newspapers and zines with friends. As the web took over, I felt a special affinity with print and other forms of visual communication outside the confines of screens. A few years later, I became a collective member of Inkworks Press, a worker cooperative offset print shop founded in 1974 in Berkeley, CA. At Inkworks, I learned the ins and outs of industrial print production. I also learned how to run a business during a time when the world of print was rapidly changing. In 2011, I co-founded Front Group Design in Oakland, CA where I worked as an art director and senior designer for seven years developing visual identities for non-profits, museums, environmental agencies, and small businesses. In 2015, I also co-founded Out of Order Games to design and self-publish the tabletop game inspired by 21st century urban uprisings called Bloc by Bloc. The third edition of Bloc by Bloc was published in 2022 and the publishing project rebranded to Outlandish Games in 2023.
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