Zynga

Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells

As Art Director on Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, I set a bold creative vision to elevate the game’s artistic identity while honoring the integrity of its core match-three mechanics. My focus was on weaving the deep lore and iconic aesthetics of the Harry Potter universe into every feature, ensuring that each event felt like an authentic, magical chapter of the broader narrative. The goal was for players to experience a renewed sense of wonder with every interaction — as if opening a new door into the wizarding world.

To achieve this, I championed a strategic balance between artistic innovation and player-centric design. Collaborating closely with senior leadership, I helped shape a forward-looking roadmap that tightly aligned creative direction with business goals. This included implementing a new pre-production pipeline that enhanced cross-discipline collaboration, accelerated iteration, and ensured consistent brand quality at every touchpoint. The result was a more sustainable development cycle that not only supported revenue growth but also reinforced the game's long-term brand integrity and visual storytelling.

Feature Key Art

Below is a sampling of the events I directed. Our roadmap cadence was robust, with 3 pillar events releasing per quarter.

Gringott's Treasure

This event was a major undertaking that brought together the collective efforts of Art, Design, UX, Tech Art, and Engineering to develop a highly engaging and visually striking feature. It introduced richer gameplay by allowing players to opt into a competitive win-streak challenge. Those who could complete seven consecutive puzzles without being knocked off the floating platforms by the "Thief’s Downfall" would go on to split a substantial cache of rewards.

Designed to drive player engagement and increase session duration, this feature aimed to deepen immersion in the Harry Potter universe while offering a rewarding sense of progression. One of the key challenges was managing the complex layering of animations and the high volume of avatar draw-calls. However, through creative planning and early prototyping, we were able to solve these issues confidently and deliver the feature successfully.

Exploration began with mood boarding and thematic alignment grounded in the game's lore, followed by storyboarding and animation prototyping. Detailed storyboards were essential for refining timing and locking in visual and narrative details.

Info Dialog

Main Event Dialog

Reward Flow

In-game

Famous Witches & Wizards

This feature introduced a fresh layer of engagement within the core match-three progression, designed to boost overall playtime, player spend, and retention. My creative vision centered on capturing the charm and innocence of The Sorcerer’s Stone—specifically the moment when Harry and Ron first bond over sweets aboard the Hogwarts Express.

By fusing the warmth and visual nostalgia of that scene with the intrigue of discovering famous witches and wizards, we crafted a playful, collectible card experience. These magical cards would appear randomly during gameplay, giving players a limited window to catch them before they vanished. Each card collected advanced players along a reward path, with randomized reveals adding an element of surprise and delight to every session.

As Art Director, I ensured the visual tone and aesthetic remained true to the brand while guiding the team to meet high creative standards—turning a simple mechanic into an emotionally resonant and visually rich player experience.

Info Dialog

Main Event Dialog

Main Event In-Game

Card Reveal Animation

Crafting the visual likeness of each character was a highly curated, multimedia process that combined cast photo paintovers with precise lighting and rendering adjustments using advanced Photoshop tools. This meticulous work ensured each portrayal remained true to the actors and the established brand aesthetic. Final approvals were conducted through a multi-step licensing pipeline, requiring alignment and sign-off from both Warner Bros. and talent representatives.

Wizard Duelling

Wands at the ready! This Duelling event introduced a fresh twist on player competition by offering a head-to-head, 1v1 experience. Players were matched against each other in a timed challenge to see who could complete the most puzzles. Each puzzle win advanced the player’s progression meter—visually represented by two magical wands locked in battle—pushing them closer to victory.

Success required strategy, including the smart use of specific power-ups. As Art Director, I aimed to make this feature feel energetic, dynamic, and bursting with ambition. Tools like word clouds and mood boards helped keep the team aligned and focused on delivering a bold, high-impact aesthetic.

Event Start Storyboard

Event Start In-Game Animation

Main Event Dialog

In-Game VFX

As Art Director, I proactively identified and proposed iconic film scenes to anchor each feature’s thematic direction. I led collaborative breakdown sessions with concept artists, animators, and outsourcing partners to align on implementation strategies and ensure a cohesive visual execution. This reflects the kind of hands-on leadership and creative foresight I brought to every feature—ensuring that each scene not only met production needs but elevated the overall player experience.

Scenes & Characters

A huge part of the Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells game is the scene, title screen, and character cadence. We recreate memorable moments and unforgettable characters from the films to populate our game experience with iconic scenes that players unlock and play through, giving the delightful experience that touches home with their fandom.

As art director I would work with our tremendous art team, establish creative goals per film breakdown, aligning leads with feedback and guidance toward excellence.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse