Several people have recently asked for help on layout over in Publishing. And I just read a comment by a designer at RPG.net who, acknowledging a reviewer's somewhat harsh words, bemoaned that he couldn't afford layout. That's really unfortunate. In nikola's graphic designers thread, he talked about fellow-Forgites (or designers in general) helping each other out. I'll put my money where my mouth is, and volunteer myself. If you have a game, and want layout work, then I'll consider doing it.

As a disclaimer, I'm not a trained professional in graphic design. But I've been doing it for some years, and spent a fair bit of time trying to learn the trade as best I can. I've done freelance work on other kinds of projects (letterheads, that kind of thing) and done my own games, with results that have gotten some praise. There are certainly more skilled people out there -- much more skilled. But I have the time, so I'm offering.

The first issue is the size of the project. Most Forge-produced games tend towards the small side. For something small and not particularly complicated, I'll work for free. I'd like to build my portfolio for this kind of stuff, so it helps me out too. If the project is really big or involved though, I might ask for some token fee -- or we could do some kind of barter; maybe just a free copy of the book when it's done.

I don't really care much about content. Even if I'm not absolutley thrilled by your game, I'll consider it. But if I don't think you're serious enough, or find it offensive or something (unlikely) I might say no.

I can't promise absolutely immediate results, since I have a couple urgent things on my plate right now. But it wouldn't be a huge wait either, unless there are lots of takers.


So that's the offer. Send me a PM or something if you want to discuss a particular project. Reply here with more general questions.