Design and creation of a gift board game for the employees of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI)

Our task was to create a board game for the institute, which would be a gift for employees working at polar stations in the Arctic and Antarctic.

For the director of AARI, as well as for any polar explorer, this game is important and symbolic, a kind of part of the institute's corporate culture. Therefore, it was decided to make a special premium version of the game as a gift for colleagues.

The game had no name, and its origin was unknown. However, all polar explorers knew the rules and how to play it.

We decided to acquire this secret knowledge, and for that, we conducted a series of interviews with polar explorers who played the game. They explained the rules and showed us the game equipment, which included a board, pieces, and dice.

Based on the scant information available, we began creating our own version of the game.

Producing the game in a small, exclusive batch was difficult because finding a supplier capable of handling such an order was challenging. We approached companies that develop board games, but they couldn't help as there was no specific technology for creating such a game.

The solution was to have it made in a private woodworking shop. There, based on our drawings, they developed the game board and pieces. We had to experiment to ensure everything met our design. For example, screen printing didn't hold well, so we opted for direct printing, which was then coated with lacquer.
The body is made of birch plywood and solid ash. The game pieces are made of oak, turned on a lathe, and coated with enamel.

The game board and body are coated with a clear matte lacquer.

The game board was made on a CNC milling machine (with computer numerical control).

We made the board as in the original version but added flaps with storage spaces for the game equipment inside. The game itself is closed with special locks.Based on AARI's corporate style, we developed the game's design from scratch and came up with a name – POLARSKOK.

In the end, we produced a game with an original name and branding.