03: Making a Treasure Hunt Part 1 of 2

Illustration Making a Treasure Hunt Part 1 @smartigraphicdesign

Cut-out clues, paper ciphers, tiny puzzles - a treasure hunt awaits! As a kid, I enjoyed the magic lore of a treasure hunt. Now as a traveling expat, I find joy in building them for other people. It started as a way to gamify the tourist experience for my young niece and nephew - they visit me at almost every location I've been stationed. But the past couple of years I've also made other similar challenges for friends and I'd like to share some of my tips and tricks.

Note: This is different than a scavenger hunt. In a scavenger hunt you are searching for items in order to make a collection of things you've seen/done/eaten to report later. In a treasure hunt, you are searching for a consecutive series of clues that lead to a final prize. In my treasure hunts, I also loop in local experiences and treats along the way.

Granted, I'm still perfecting my techniques, and each situation changes, but here's what I've sort of analyzed is my process:

1) make a map of the location

2) choose the hot spots of interest

3) list out a theme that works

4) brainstorm possible challenges

5) make, test, break and fix challenges

6) choose branding style, colors and illustrations

7) level up all of the challenges with branding (*this part takes the longest)

8) print

9) assemble

10) deliver and let them enjoy

+) if you are feeling encouraged, tweak and reset for others to play

Since this is a big process, I'll break the process into 2 posts. Read on for Part 1:

1. MAKE A MAP

Making a map is important to make sure that you know the layout of the space/neighborhood/city. This is for three reasons - 1) ensure it's a walkable route, 2) simplify orientation, and 3) line up the hot spots.

First things first, a map will help you judge distance better. And that distance needs to be walkable. (Side note: Its easy to make unwalkable mistakes. One time, a willing adventurer traipsed the entire west end of London in one afternoon. Eep!) I used to time myself on a walk, going slowly and adding in minutes for re-orientation. But when you know the way, your estimates are going to be skewed for efficiency. Nowadays, Google Maps makes this a hundred times easier because you can map out the route and get a time estimate. Always add in fluff time to the estimate. For my purposes, I never aim for anything more than 1 hour long because it could easily triple for newcomers.

Which leads nicely into the second reason: city walking is a disorienting task for any tourist. Even with a smartphone it's hard to know which way to turn or where to go sometimes. I want to believe everyone has had that moment where the Google arrow is pointing one way, and then suddenly reappears somewhere else. So, cut the confusion, and make a map first so you can visually simplify the route.

Finally, a map will help you consider the placement, proximity and pathway for all the hot spots so you can line them up in a straightforward journey. It helps give implicit encouragement that the participants are moving in one solid and correct direction. I try to avoid backtracking in any of my treasure hunts for the same reason.

Normally I like to build my own map in adobe illustrator with Google Map screenshots references. Then I print it out because I love tangible things. But it's a lot of work - so you could easily shortcut by just use the Google Maps screenshot OR a printed map from local city hall.

2. CHOOSE HOT SPOTS

Choosing hot spots is relative - it will depend upon whoever you are designing the treasure hunt for and why. This is when you need to know the recipient well. Basic tourist locations, gorgeous architecture, quirky design shops, beautiful cafes, excellent vintage shops - you can really go in any direction that works. For my niece and nephew, I often chose two or three traditional tourist locations as challenges and then mix in age appropriate playgrounds, cafes and toy shops as rewards along the way. And I always plan for a final treasure - often as an experience gift to a special place.

Here are the questions I ask about my participants before I prepare a treasure hunt:

1) What is their age and health? This determines if they can walk long distances or need more down time and recovery. Some 5 year olds can outlast 65 year olds, and sometimes it's the other way around.

2) When they plan vacations - what are their top 3 interests? Some people really need to see the main touristy things, some people want to sample vegan cuisine, some people light up for quirky design (I know I do!)

3) When they plan downtime - what do they aim for? Some people pine for adrenaline-inducing activities of big vistas, some people love browsing/hunting at bookstores or thrift stores, some people want soft indulgent pampering. Be considerate of including these along the way.

4) What are things I'd be sad if they didn't see? Sometimes you know what is lame or overrated, and you can find bizarre special things that will make their experience sparkle.

3. LIST OUT A THEME

Themes are important to create a sense of unity and a splash of whimsy. I like to think it's the underlying story that helps tie everything together. In London, I mixed the theme as graphic design and visual novelties. In Buenos Aires, the theme was a quirky neighborhood walk of graffiti and unique spaces. In Paris, the theme was funny iconic French things and classic museum finds. In Copenhagen, the theme was based on the stories of Hans Christian Andersen.

Sometimes the themes helps me weave together a narrative of what to look for, and what experiences should be part of the journey. Sometimes it just helps me understand how to dream up a cohesive branding, colors and design style. Mostly it helps me to think of appropriate challenges. For example, in the Paris treasure hunt, my niece and nephew were quite young, so I made a memory game that would help them associate the right names with the right tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower and Sacré Couer.

4. BRAINSTORM CHALLENGES

Ah, the challenges! Challenges is where the design gets tricky. Every time I make a treasure hunt, I have to make a completely new list of challenges. I could probably just recycle old ideas, but I like the brainstorming part! It is easily frustrating, but silly me, I love a challenge! To start, I typically collect good Idas on Pinterest, or browse through specialty hunt websites: https://www.treasure-hunt-ideas.co.uk/all-ideas.

I make a master list with all the hot spots, the theme and start thinking about what would be joyous, tricky and enticing to discover. It can be helpful to go through the senses - smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, seeing. Smell - finding a bottled scent of rose water as a clue to go to the rose section in the botanic gardens. Taste - making a donut treat spell out the letters of the next location. Touching - feeling the letters out in braille to decipher the next clue. Hearing - listening to a playlist to identify the song with a code in the lyrics. Seeing - transparent sheets with writing that when overlayed on a map, point out the next destination.

I like to make most of my challenges as paper toys and ephemeral experiences. But I have added other twists, like lockboxes, shadow art, and actual hidden treasure boxes. Sometimes I am lucky and a museum or a store will let me leave items behind for the recipient to find, but it depends on the situation and who you ask. London museums wouldn't let me leave anything behind because of security risks. But Copenhagen museum directors were lenient and creative and willing to help me make something special. It never hurts to ask!

5. MAKE, TEST, BREAK and FIX

Make, test, break and fix challenges. The tangible stage. Set up a mock version of the clue/challenge. This is where the ephemeral part starts to take shape. Does the alphabet code really spell out the right clue? Can you leave a bookmark clue in the library book for a week? Are the visual clues easy enough to see on transparent paper? Will the hot dog vendor be able to spell out the whole clue in ketchup? Does the candle melt down to reveal a legible message? Does the wax paper fold origami-like to reveal the clue?

By this point, you've tested out the walk, visited the spaces, made the clues so your brain and eyes have already mastered the process. Bring in fresh eyes! Loop in other accomplices like parents, friends and neighbors. A whole range of people have been privy to this stage of my design process with random requests to test out a small puzzle or a clue. Sometimes they get just as much of a kick out of the testing as I do and are helpful to brainstorm foolproof solutions when things go wrong - which is inevitable. That's half the joy! Being diligent to fix it when its broken is what makes the clues robust and fantastic.

Here are 3 examples of challenges I tested on my latest treasure hunt:

Photos @smartigraphicdesign

[From Left to Right:]

1) map coordinates lead to hidden box-in-box-in-box. The last box has a visual code puzzle that leads to the next location,

2) long matches line up to reveal a rhyme for a donut treat coupon,

3) Spotify music codes playlist line up. One of the songs lyrics repeat a numerical clue title that unlocks a lockbox.

That's half of the process for now. I hope it helps you squeeze some juicy inspiration into your projects. Next month, look for Part 2 of this post when I share the second half of my process. This is when I put my designer glasses on and graphic design the snot out of everything to bring it to life, then print, set and let my participants play!

Happy clue-making,

smarti