Mugshot Games
Art Team
Art Director
2017-2026
MUGSHOT GAMES
Personalizing Virtual Homes to Drive Engagement
Enable people to personalize their virtual homes with photos & memories
CONTEXT
A Passion Project
& the Search for Fun.
Mugshot Games was a 3 person game studio, which greatly limited how complex the game could be given our time & people resources.
Sliding Seas is a mobile puzzle game designed to help players relax, reduce stress, and escape into a world of fun.
We love puzzle games, and wanted to bring a unique twist to the familiar Match-3 genre.
IMPACT
High Player Engagement and Positive Reception
Featured as Game of the Day in the U.S. Apple App Store, and more than 2 million downloads, and 4.8-star rating across Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Players consistently shared heartfelt feedback, noting how the game helped with anxiety, ADHD, and emotional challenges.
Accepted into the Google Play Indie Games Accelerator, where Mugshot Games was 1 of 36 game studios in the 2021 cohort.
VALUES
We care about our players.
We focus on healthy, sustainable growth.
We sweat the details.
PRINCIPLES
Fun & care.
BRAND PROMISE
Familiar, but remarkable games.
“This game has been a lifesaver. It has helped me with my anxiety and depression... Thank you greatly”
by Richard Colón
“Great game, I use it to stay focused (ADHD). It requires strategy but not full focus.”
by Joel Chavarría
“Day 2 and I am already contemplating on quitting my day job to play this full time”
by Ja Duenas
EXPERIENCE
A Cozy World to Call Your Own
Be the mayor of your own tropical world!
Pick cute buildings to decorate your island and hang out with cool VIP characters that you collect.
Earn rewards and prizes with daily missions and weekend events, and unlock cute VIP characters as you play.
Sliding Seas is the cutest and most relaxing match-3 puzzle game on mobile!
LEARNINGS
The Long Game,
Success & The Dip
Great things take time is an understatement. The last 10% of the project felt more than the initial 90%.
Just focus on making a great game that I love playing. Success depends on too many external factors outside of my control.
The Dip is real. Some stages are extremely challenging to pull through, but having gotten to the other side multiple times. I can say it’s totally worth it, and I would do it again tomorrow.
CHALLENGES
Balancing Creativity, Constraints, and Care
Wearing multiple hats as an art director, manager, concept artist, UI designer, animator, and more was essential with limited resources.
Balancing monetization with aesthetics meant designing in-app purchases that felt natural and appealing.
Keeping art cohesive while adding frequent updates (new levels, rewards, events) was a constant challenge.
MY ROLE
Designing for Delight, Managing for Impact
As Art Director, I led the visual direction & execution from concept to launch. This required me to wear multiple hats such as concept artist, UI designer, animator, product designer, asset optimizer, & content strategist.
I also remote managed a full-time junior artist and co-ordinated overflow production with an external agency.
Defined and executed our content asset & production strategy, ensuring Sliding Seas stays fresh for engaged players.
👋 THANKS FOR STOPPING BY
Want to learn more about this project?
Message me at hello@natecooper.io
Curious about my previous work, check out my LinkedIn
Or hop back to the homepage
Mugshot Games
Art Team
Art Director
2017-2026
A Tiny Oasis
in a Busy World
Bringing warmth and calm to players through art, interaction, and intentional design.
MUGSHOT GAMES
Mugshot Games was a 3 person game studio, which greatly limited how complex the game could be given our time & people resources.
Sliding Seas is a mobile puzzle game designed to help players relax, reduce stress, and escape into a world of fun.
We love puzzle games, and wanted to bring a unique twist to the familiar Match-3 genre.
A Passion Project
& the Search for Fun.
CONTEXT
As Art Director, I led the visual direction & execution from concept to launch. This required me to wear multiple hats such as concept artist, UI designer, animator, product designer, asset optimizer, & content strategist.
I also remote managed a full-time junior artist and co-ordinated overflow production with an external agency.
Defined and executed our content asset & production strategy, ensuring Sliding Seas stays fresh for engaged players.
Designing for Delight, Managing for Impact
My Role
PRINCIPLES
Fun & care.
VALUES
We care about our players.
We focus on healthy, sustainable growth.
We sweat the details.
BRAND PROMISE
Familiar, but remarkable games.
MUGSHOT GAMES
Be the mayor of your own tropical world!
Pick cute buildings to decorate your island and hang out with cool VIP characters that you collect.
Earn rewards and prizes with daily missions and weekend events, and unlock cute VIP characters as you play.
Sliding Seas is the cutest and most relaxing match-3 puzzle game on mobile!
A Cozy World
to Call Your Own
EXPERIENCE
Featured as Game of the Day in the U.S. Apple App Store, and more than 2 million downloads, and 4.8-star rating across Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Players consistently shared heartfelt feedback, noting how the game helped with anxiety, ADHD, and emotional challenges.
Accepted into the Google Play Indie Games Accelerator, where Mugshot Games was 1 of 36 game studios in the 2021 cohort.
High Player Engagement and Positive Reception
Impact
“This game has been a lifesaver. It has helped me with my anxiety and depression... Thank you greatly”
by Richard Colón
“Great game, I use it to stay focused (ADHD). It requires strategy but not full focus.”
by Joel Chavarría
“Day 2 and I am already contemplating on quitting my day job to play this full time”
by Ja Duenas
Wearing multiple hats as an art director, manager, concept artist, UI designer, animator, and more was essential with limited resources.
Balancing monetization with aesthetics meant designing in-app purchases that felt natural and appealing.
Keeping art cohesive while adding frequent updates (new levels, rewards, events) was a constant challenge.
Balancing Creativity, Constraints, and Care
Challenges
Message me at hello@natecooper.io
Curious about my previous work, check out my LinkedIn
Or hop back to the homepage
Want to learn more about this project?
👋 THANKS FOR STOPPING BY
The Long Game,
Success & The Dip
Great things take time is an understatement. The last 10% of the project felt more than the initial 90%.
Just focus on making a great game that I love playing. Success depends on too many external factors outside of my control.
The Dip is real. Some stages are extremely challenging to pull through, but having gotten to the other side multiple times. I can say it’s totally worth it, and I would do it again tomorrow.
LEARNINGS