Dani Kates is a New York-based illustrator and designer, and after years of conceptualizing and creating artwork for popular brands such as Nestle, Tootsie Roll, Girl Scouts and It’Sugar, (to name a few) and illustrating over 40 coloring books, “I wanted a new creative endeavor. In particular, I wanted to find a way to combine my artistic talents with my playful and somewhat silly nature, not to mention my passion for game night.” Alas, she launched Dani Kates Designs featuring Custom Monopoly Boards. Christina Aguilera other celebrities and influencers LOVE their custom games. Dani has created over 2,500 boards.
Think of the creative ways to promote your brand with this unique gift– from client gifts, VIP gifts for speakers at your conferences, fundraisers, to someone who has everything…a custom monopoly board is a great gift. Dani Kates is offering an exclusive 15% off a Custom Monopoly Board to Formidable Woman readers by using Code FormidableWomanLove when you purchase a game at www.danikatesdesigns.com
FWM: Dani, where did this all begin for you?
My business began pretty organically. I simply made a custom board game for my boyfriend as a gift, and suddenly everyone that saw it wanted one! This led me to create a listing in my Etsy shop and I got so many orders that it soon became my full-time business. Before I knew it, I was even attracting a few celebrity clients, such as Christina Aguilera, a major TV host and a legendary ball player.
Every board game I design is completely customized for the client from start to finish, with a tenacious attention to detail (we illustrators are like that!). From the personalization of the board, box and cards to the creativity of the ideas and the high-end hand drawings, my goal is to create a game that truly captures what is special and meaningful to you.
I make the process very simple and fun, sending you drafts and updates through each stage of the process, and nothing is printed without your approval. The finished product is professionally manufactured and packaged, just like a real board game, and I have scaled my business to be able to do everything from a single game to quantities of 10,000 or more!
Businesses also love my custom game boards as gifts for their clients and employees. From realtors and investment brokers who want to highlight the year’s biggest property sales to travel agencies who want to use it as a marketing tool to showcase their favorite destinations to prospective customers – even influencers creating a game for their fans. The possibilities are endless!
FWM: How did you draw the attention of celebrities?
I think that it’s such a unique and customized product that people who are looking to buy something for the person who has everything are drawn to it. Celebrities often have a long list of accomplishments and creating a custom game is a great way to showcase that in a tasteful way. I recently designed a game for Christina Aguilera as a gift from her incredible personal assistant. We had the best time designing it together and she absolutely loved it.
FWM: Why is a Custom Monopoly Board the most unique and personalized gift?
A custom monopoly board is so unique because the possibilities are endless. It’s the most creative and fun way to showcase someone’s life-their family, their favorite things, their passions, their life’s work, their memories. Its exciting for the customer to come up with ideas and choose exactly how they want their game to be. The games can be as nostalgic, as funny, as creative as someone wants it to be.
FWM: Is it easy to design a board? Take us through the process.
Yes, I make the process very easy! I have forms that I send to customers to fill out, along with an overview of the package that they ordered, suggestions for coming up with ideas, and examples of images and other games. I always make myself available for a phone conversation to help brainstorm. Once I have all the information, I design the first draft and send it to the customer to review. I offer unlimited revisions and edits until they love it and approve it! It takes about 2.5 to 3 weeks for me to design the game, have it produced, and shipped. Bulk orders are closer to 4 weeks, and large scale (over 250 of the same games) take 6-8 weeks.
FWM: You have designed over 2,500 boards. How much fun has it been for you?
I absolutely love designing these custom games. When I sit down at my computer to start a new game and open the form to get started, I get a rush of excitement-every single time! Aside from loving the actual work and creativity that goes into it, being able to create something that becomes a treasured gift, often the “best gift they have every received” to quote many customers is more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. Every time I create a game, I’m putting together the pieces of someone’s favorite things, their relationship, their business-all the great things in someone’s life. The customers are always so enthusiastic and we have so much fun working together and I truly can’t wait for each one to receive their game!
Corporate and bulk orders are an important part of your business. Tell us about the creative ways corporations have worked with you on designing boards.
Definitely, I often design games for business, corporations and schools. These bulk orders can be anywhere from 25 games to thousands. During the pandemic I designed a game for a 3D printing company to gift their employees in lieu of a corporate retreat. The theme was camp quarantine. Ive designed games for the hosts of the show The Masked Singer that featured all the costumes and performers of the season which was really fun. Franchises purchase corporate orders as gifts for owners, law firms for holiday gifts, influencers for their own marketing, so many great things!
Rave Reviews
5 out of 5 stars
Dani was absolutely amazing to work with! She was helpful, quick to get back to me with any questions I had, and even helped me with some decisions when I got stuck. I would go all out and get the premium board!! Then take the time to make it really special. It took a while but I was able to design everything on my board, and Dani made it all come to life. She lets you approve everything before, and is willing to make any changes. She’s so talented & a really great person + business owner! If you’re considering purchasing, this is your sign to do so. It’s a really special gift!!
Cristina on Oct 26, 2022
5 out of 5 stars
I am speechless. The game was beyond what I expected!! Dani answered all my questions and did an amazing job on this. I love it!! It was supposed to be a Christmas present but I was so excited to give it to my husband that I gave it to him early. I would definitely buy from her again.
5 out of 5 stars
I bought this custom Monopoly board as a wedding gift for my husband and this gift was truly better than I could have even imagined!!! The quality is amazing and Dani went above and beyond to make sure all of my images were perfect and custom to us. This item is worth every single penny, it is so custom, unique and the perfect gift. Dani took my ideas and made them even better than what I had in my head and she was super responsive and easy to work with! 100000/10, it is just perfect!
Taylor on Oct 1, 2022
5 out of 5 stars
HUGE S/O to Dani for helping me make my boyfriend’s birthday super special. He’s a monopoly connoisseur/collector and has an insane amount already – But this custom was the ultimate gift and he’s in love with it (he shed an actual tear lol)! I wish I had found her sooner, but she managed to jump through hoops and get it done AND shipped in a matter of DAYS so I could gift him on his actual birthday… so she’s pretty much magic!! The detail, creativity, overall experience – Unmatched 
FWM: What markets are you interested in making an impact for in 2023?
I’m really interested in creating games for people and groups with a strong voice, vision and aesthetic. There are so many ways to make this your own with branding, colors and content. Custom games for groups of people that share common values and interests is such a wonderful way to organize and showcase it all.
Are you looking for Influencers? What are your goals for 2023?
Yes! I’m looking for influencers! Anyone with a following and something important to say! Whether it’s a cause, a method, or a lifestyle-I want to help you articulate it in a creative and memorable way! My goals for 2023 are to continue designing those special one-of-a-kind gifts for individuals and to work with more influential visionaries, more brands and companies looking for creative marketing tools or corporate gifts. My goal is to find 10-12 influencers to partner with. I’d like to give them a gift of custom game design that can be marketed to their network and then put into bulk production.
@danikatesdesigns on instagram and facebook
