The Visual Identity of Rescue: A chat with Daniel Toracca
One of the most surreal parts of bringing Rescue to life has been watching it transform from a stack of paper with scribbled notes into something that actually looks and feels like a real game. That transformation happened because of Daniel Torraca.
Richmond Zine Fest Poster by Daniel Toracca
When I first had the idea for Rescue, I knew immediately that I wanted Daniel to illustrate it. Their work has this beautiful way of capturing personality and emotion in simple, honest lines. I needed someone who could make each dog feel like a unique character, not a scientific drawing of a canine, and Daniel was the only person I could imagine doing that justice.
What started as "maybe I'll draw a couple of doggos for my friends" turned into over a hundred unique illustrations, each with their own quirks and charm. Players tell us constantly that the illustrations are their favorite part of the game, and honestly, I get it. These are dogs you recognize, dogs you know, dogs that remind you of someone you've met or loved.
Kurt Vile Poster by Daniel Toracca
I chatted with Daniel to talk about their creative process, what it was like to draw this many dogs, and how they've experienced the game now that they've finally had a chance to play it.
Q: For folks who don't know you yet, give us a little intro. Who are you and how do you describe your art and illustrations?
A: Howdy! I’m a person living in Richmond,VA who makes drawings, comics and prints. Most of my work centers around queer identity and relationships—both internal and external.
Gay Bike Bumper Stickers by Daniel Toracca
Q: I think I told you that when I first had the idea for Rescue, I knew immediately I wanted you to do the illustration. What did you think when I first brought the idea of this crazy game to you?
A: Honestly? I thought “oh this sounds neat, maybe I’ll draw a couple of doggos for my friends! That’d be nice.” I had no idea what I was getting myself into haha.
Q: We didn't give you much to go on in those early conversations other than a few references and a list of potential personalities and sizes. Can you share more about your approach to the illustrations? How did you fill in the gaps? What's your creative process?
A: When I was first getting started, I would layout a grid and do an entire page of dogs all around the same emotion. I would try to do a third of them small, a third medium, and a third large. Of course, I’d look up reference photos to try to get a good variety of different dogs in there, but really, after you draw 30 or 40 dogs, you just start to think of the basic anatomy. Then, naturally, that leads to questioning “how much can I obscure these so that they still read as dogs?” Because, in reality, all you really need to draw is four legs, a tail, two eyes, and a snout.
Early Rescue illustrations by Daniel Toracca
Q: I've told people, "I feel like I've met each of these dogs. I know these dogs. Everyone who plays has a favorite by the end." Were there any where you were thinking, "oh, that's a good dog" while you were working on them?
A: Probably. But more often than not, I thought “Now there’s a dog with some problems”. It’s so funny you say you know these dogs, because at some point, I started to think of them less as dogs and more as people. Or maybe a more accurate way to say that would be like how sometimes dogs look like their owners—they’re a bit more like that to me.
Q: You've only just recently played the game for the first time, a year after we first approached you to work on the art. What did you think of the game when you played it? If you had to describe it in a sentence or two, how would you put it?
A: I’m biased, but I really loved playing it. I was so excited to play-test it with my family over the holidays. It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure/strategy game with ever-changing dynamics. Like, there’s no right or wrong way to play it. Which I think rings true in the card art. The strengths are in the tactical, human, flawed parts of it. That’s what makes it fun and real!
Q: Players keep telling us the illustrations are their favorite part of the game. Now that you've seen it in near-final form, do you have a favorite dog in the game?
A: General rule of thumb for me: the jankier the dog, the better. But I’m also biased towards the smaller fellas since I live with one of those (shout out Honeybee).
Irene V2 with illustration by Daniel Toracca
Q: I remember one check-in where Kelly(Co-Designer of Rescue) and I were immediately drawn to one of the dogs you threw in as an afterthought and thought we wouldn't like. Were there any dogs you remember drawing that haven't made it into the game (and should we change that)?
A: Oh my god. Probably? There are also probably a bunch of monstrosities that should never see the light of day. But who knows; never say never.
Q: Are there any tiny details or references you hope players notice when they're shuffling through the deck or organizing their rescue?
A: I like the little collars or blankets/trinkets some of them have. Also though, I have to say, I hope people really pay attention to the beautiful work Jessee(Graphic Designer of Rescue) has done in coloring these freaks (the dogs). The card designs themselves are so impressive and I’m so proud of the work you (Jacob) have put into the game's mechanics along with Kelly and Chris(Developer of Rescue). The dogs are cute but the real hero here is the friends we’ve made along the way.
If you’d like to follow along with Daniel’s incredible work, follow them on Instagram or dig into their portfolio.
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