Dylan Greif Designer
School of Visual Arts, 2007
– Rules of the Game: 1. Religion-Themed Bocce Ball can be played on almost any surface; the grass, dirt, sand, etc. 2. The game comes with eight large balls called “religions” and one small ball called “fulfillment”. Each religion represents one of the following faiths: Islam, Paganism, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Chinese Folk, Atheism, and Buddhism. 3. One point is awarded to each religion that is closer to fulfillment than the closest ball of the opposing team. 4. Players can use their religions to knock their opponents’ religions away from fulfillment at any time during the frame.
– Design Process: The challenge I set for myself was to adapt a flat graphic to a spherical surface without distortion. I designed a method of cutting the printed graphic into a spine of strips and wrapping it around an actual bocce ball. My first "strip design" was utilized in the ball shown bottom left (Hinduism). It is comprised of three pieces: A large, rectangular sheet of strips and two circular sheets of strips. My second strip design was utilized in the ball shown bottom right (Islam), and an illustration of the strip layout can be seen farther down. While more complicated, it adapts the graphic more accuracy. The shorter the strips are, the less image is cut out between each one. The process was meticulous and taxing. But I also found it ritualistic, which struck me as meaningful and relevant in the work of designing religions.