What does it take to turn the stock market into a game that’s fun to play, safe for kids and smart enough for adults? For The Arty Smarty Project, the answer was SHOCK!, a compact stock-market board game where every component – from the box to the die – had to work hard, look sharp and survive many, many rounds of spirited play. This is where INKspirations stepped in to blend design, materials and manufacturing into one tight little package.
At first glance, SHOCK! looks bold and energetic: a strong graphic board divided into four coloured “companies”, matching money and share cards radiating out, and a punchy box that announces the game from across the room. Behind that visual hit is a lot of R&D with paper and print – testing board thicknesses so the main playing surface stays flat and warp-free, choosing card stock that shuffles well but doesn’t fray, and speccing packaging boards that feel premium in the hand yet remain light enough for easy handling and shipping. Inks, laminates and coatings were tuned to keep colours saturated and resist fingerprints and enthusiastic use.
The real magic of the build lies in the composite nature of the set. The board uses metal pointers on each quadrant – precise, low-profile parts that needed to spin smoothly, stay anchored and still pass child-safety checks for edges and fastenings. The die was custom-moulded in plastic to match the game’s graphic language and withstand repeated rolls without chipping, which meant working closely with moulders on material choice, weight and finish. Every component had to play nicely with the others in terms of scale and colour, so nothing felt like an afterthought thrown into the box.
Because the game is designed for players aged seven and up, durability and safety were as important as aesthetics. Corners were softened, coatings were chosen to be child-friendly, and all small parts were evaluated for long-term robustness so families could keep pulling SHOCK! off the shelf weekend after weekend. At the same time, the overall footprint of the set was kept as compact as possible – the tray, inserts and folding board all nest together efficiently, making the game easy to store, stack and gift.
For INKspirations, SHOCK! became a showcase of integrated problem-solving: paper engineering, metal hardware, plastic prototyping and packaging design all coming together around one idea. The final product proves that with enough curiosity and testing, a board game can be more than just printed cardboard – it can be a finely tuned, multi-material object that feels exciting to unbox, intuitive to use and tough enough to outlast every market high and low.