Lilla here. My one-of-a-kind toy and game design course, My Toy Pitch, starts TODAY and I can’t wait to see what you come up with this year. I really hope you’ll join me, because getting into the toy and game market can be great for your creative career. As an agent, I see exactly what jobs my amazing artists are getting, and I can tell you that toys and games – especially art-driven toys and games – are still an absolutely huge market.

Why? Because people will always want and need to buy things for children, even during a downturn in the economy. Because parents are desperate to get their kids off screens for a while. Because right now we’re all craving that connection that playing a game or doing a puzzle together brings. And because we all want beautiful things in our homes.

Last year, I ran this course for the first time along with my brilliant co-teacher, art agent and smash-hit toy creator Riley Wilkinson, and because it was a brand new course, we were able to hone things along the way. For example, we introduced break-out groups, where students could meet in small groups (perhaps with Riley and me!) to discuss their ideas. I then created PDFs for the students based on what we went over in the weekly live Zoom events, using actual art from class as examples.

Want to know what agents tell their students? Want to see my notes from class? Today I’m sharing FIVE of the tips from the downloadable document students got in Week 3 of class, Game week, along with some of the stunning art that they created. This is just a tiny taste of the bounty of insights, tips and advice you’ll get from Riley and me over the five weeks of this course – don’t miss out, register now!

Here are FIVE tips to give your game pitch a huge boost:

1. As with every pitch, make sure your work is easy to understand at a glance and well organized on the page. I loved this pitch by Make Art That Sells student Susanne Lork. See how simple it is to grasp the idea and ocean theme behind her pitch with just one look?

Pitch created by Make Art That Sells student Susanne Lork for My Toy Pitch. Class starts today – sign up now!

2. Okay, now I’m going to contradict myself. This example by Erica Root is full of her gorgeous art and characters. It works because she’s quickly established what the game is by giving us the words “Checkers Set” right under the title, along with a portion of the classic checkerboard. This type of pitch isn’t easy to pull off, but I wanted to show it to you.

Pitch created by Erica Root for My Toy Pitch. Erica is just one of the 29 Make Art That Sells students that I now represent after seeing their art in class – and in My Toy Pitch you get your art in front of not just one but TWO art agents! Sign up here.

3. For a board game like checkers, make sure the two sets of game pieces are very different colors. Why? Because players need to see where all their pieces are, and where their opponents’ pieces are immediately so they can strategize. For example, don’t have all different types of jellyfish in a million different colors. Below, Imogen Joy’s game pieces are red and green—very different colors from one another.

Pitch by Make Art That Sells student Imogen Joy for My Toy Pitch.

4. While we’re chatting about colors, make sure your playing pieces pop off of the background, so they’re easy to see rather than blending in. Consider going with a different color family. So, for example, if your board is comprised of blues, don’t make your playing pieces blue too. In this gorgeous pitch, for example, Heather’s orange squids pop easily against the blue game board.

Pitch by Make Art That Sells student Heather Manning for My Toy Pitch.

5. If your pitch is primarily art-driven, rather than involving a unique twist or invention, by all means show off your art. If there are characters in your games, for example, show plenty of great characters. Here, Kay shows off her happy style and adorable/fun characters. Companies and consumers will buy this for the character design alone. I can imagine a company manufacturing all kinds of things based on these charming characters.

Pitch by Make Art That Sells student Kay Wolfersperger for My Toy Pitch. Kay is another artist who I now represent after falling in love with her art in class. Want me to see your art? Sign up now!

What will your unique, gorgeous toy or game pitch look like? Let’s find out – register for My Toy Pitch now.