Graphic Design Services

Julie Dini, a highly experienced psychologist with over 27 years of expertise working with children, especially those with disabilities, approached me with a unique challenge. She wanted to create a children’s card game that would help young kids identify and understand their emotions, recognize facial expressions, and read body language in others—something that’s often difficult for children, particularly those with developmental challenges.

Julie had a clear vision for the game, Dealing in Feelings, but needed assistance turning her ideas into tangible designs for the emotion cards and packaging. The project was new and exciting for me, offering a unique opportunity to dive into something different from my usual design work.

We began with the emotion cards themselves. Julie had already sourced images, so my job was to fit them into a well-designed card template, making adjustments for color correction and background changes where necessary. This step was essential to ensure the cards would be visually appealing and clear for children to understand.

The next challenge was designing the packaging and creating an overall look for Dealing in Feelings. The key was finding a way to visually represent complex emotional concepts in a simple, fun, and engaging way. After much brainstorming and collaboration with Julie, we decided on a set of pictographs that represented core emotions: a heart, speech and thought bubbles, and a handprint. We combined these symbols in a vibrant, eye-catching pattern that perfectly captured the essence of the game.

The result was a bold, fun, and educational card game that made learning about emotions accessible and enjoyable for children. Since its launch in the second half of 2019, Dealing in Feelings has sold internationally, reaching children and families around the world.

This project was incredibly fulfilling, not just for its design challenges, but for the impact it’s had in helping children understand themselves and others better. It’s a reminder of how powerful design can be in making meaningful, positive changes.