Blackform · Insert Development Studio
Blackform designs custom board game inserts for publishers and crowdfunding teams. Shaped from real play, engineered for manufacturing.
Custom Geometry
When the tray fits the game, the experience begins with opening the box.
Bring them on. Player boards, standees, minis and oversized pieces all get a slot of their own, not a compromise.
From Box to Table
Resource trays lift out of the box and into play, so shared components stay reachable all game instead of in a pile or a bag.
Per-player trays mean the box packs itself at the end of the night, however complex the game.
Component Logic
Components are grouped by when you need them, not by what shape they are.
We love a good Tetris. The fuller the box, the bigger the difference a smart layout makes.
Materials
We can do that too. Moulded pulp, cardboard or a mix of both, designed to your budget and your factory's process.
Just like NorthStar Game Studio, who moved to plastic-free production late in the project. The insert was rebuilt in moulded pulp without giving up modular setup or control of 300+ tokens.
Positioning
Blackform is a specialist partner for insert development, not a generic organizer catalog.
The insert is shaped around setup flow, table use, and how the game is really handled by players.
Concepts are developed with tooling, tolerances, packing assumptions, and factory feedback in mind.
You work directly with the designer shaping your insert, from the first conversation to the finished box, without layers between product decisions.
Publisher Feedback
"It's been a pleasure working with Sergio from Blackform. His insert for Nature is top notch and he was always attentive to our needs."
"Smooth, clear, and highly collaborative. Sergio quickly understood the game's needs and delivered practical solutions. The insert greatly improved organization, sped up setup, and reinforced production clarity."
"Sergio brought that vision to life with incredible skill and precision. He added all sorts of technical and creative details that really made the insert sing."
"Coming from no knowledge of the process or even what I wanted, Sergio patiently and expertly led me through to a great solution for my complex tray design needs."
Process
A practical workflow built for publishers who need inserts that work at the table and survive real manufacturing constraints.
We talk through the game, the component mix, and the production direction before design starts.
We review the rules, setup flow, and player experience so the insert supports real table use instead of just fitting parts.
Tray concepts and CAD layouts are refined with your feedback until fit, usability, and pack-out are solved.
Manufacturer-ready files go out for validation so tooling, tolerances, and packing assumptions can be checked early.
After revisions are approved, final files are locked for manufacturing and pack-out with the game.
Support
The practical questions that usually come up while a game is moving toward insert development and production.
Manufacturing Support
Insert direction, CAD-backed layouts, and a design taken all the way through factory validation and production handoff.
The insert is shaped around the intended production route, whether the project calls for thermoformed plastic, molded pulp, or another factory-led solution.
Collector editions, expansion content, sleeved cards, vertical storage, pack-out logic, and table-ready trays can all be planned from the start.
The best time is once the component list, box direction, and production goals are defined well enough to discuss pack-out realistically.
Earlier involvement is usually better, because insert decisions can influence component choices, setup flow, and how efficiently the final box comes together.
The output depends on the project, but the goal is always the same: a design that is ready for manufacturer review, validation, and production handoff.
That includes the insert logic itself, the CAD-backed layout, and any revisions needed after factory feedback.
Once the insert direction is approved, the design goes to the manufacturer for validation against tooling, tolerances, packing assumptions, and other production realities.
If the factory raises issues, the insert is revised and tightened before anything is locked for production.
Yes, if those requirements are part of the project from the start. Collector content, expansion modules, sleeved cards, vertical storage, and table-ready trays all affect layout logic and should be scoped early.
The earlier those constraints are known, the cleaner the final insert program tends to be.
No. The design work is built around the intended manufacturing route and the realities of the specific title.
Recent public projects include both thermoformed-plastic-style tray development and molded-pulp redesign work, so the process is not locked to a single insert format.
Yes. Always.
The Studio
Blackform is run by Sergio Soto, a designer with a software and engineering background who cares deeply about how games feel to set up, store, and bring to the table. The goal is not just to make the box look tidy, but to create inserts that look and feel like part of the game, improve the player experience, and still hold up in real manufacturing.
Start a Project
Share where the game is in development and any ideas you already have for the insert. If you are still figuring it out, that is completely fine.
