Hey there! I'm Jo Hanna (they/them)

I've been making videogames and board games professionally since 2015, and as a hobby since long before that! I believe that the best way to immerse your players in your game is through mechanics.

As a pixel artist I specialize in small sprites with complex, expressive animations. I love working with restrictions, and I consider myself especially suited to working on games that imitate the restrictions of old or imagined consoles. You can find examples in the art section.

I've been lucky enough to make a lot of games with a lot of amazing people! Links to many of them can be found in the games section.

I've been working mostly on smaller projects and freelance work for the bulk of my career so far, but I'm currently seeking employment at a small studio as a game designer, pixel artist, level designer, or Godot developer. If you think I might be the right fit for your studio, please let me know at JoVideoGamesHanna@gmail.com

Resume

Jo Hanna (They/Them)
Game Designer, Animator, Sound Designer, Organizer

Experience

Strange Spaces Games — Lead Artist and Designer, Composer
August 2017 - PRESENT

Led the team in deciding which ideas to dedicate time to. Communicated with other members to achieve our goals. Created the core mechanics for our games and communicated those decisions with the programmer. Developed the artistic style for each of our games and then created the artwork for each and every one of them. Composed music for most of our games.

RedEmber, Online — Lead Artist
JUNE 2018 - PRESENT

I designed characters, environments, and animations that matched and expanded upon the original artistic vision of the Lead Designer. The Lead Designer and I worked together to brainstorm the designs and themes in the game.

Holey Donut Games, Online — Lead Artist
JUNE 2017 - PRESENT

I designed characters, objects, and animations that matched the Lead Artist’s style. I became the Lead Artist on the project after the game’s initial release.

Education

UMKC, Kansas City — BA in Creative Writing
Graduated 2011
In addition to many creative writing classes, I also took classes in Illustration and Animation.

Projects

Games I've made under different studio names:
https://veryhandsome.itch.io/
https://rumblepack.itch.io/

Flyover Indies — A local game development community I co-founded
https://flyoverindies.party/

Skills

Aseprite, Krita, Adobe Suite
Godot, Unity, Game Maker
Iterative Prototyping
Level Design
Python, C#
Pixel Art
Animation
Concept Art
Creative Writing
Brainstorming
Cooking, Baking, Fermentation
Community Organization and Leadership

AWARDS

Most Compelling Mechanics Boston FIG, 2019, awarded for the game Dragoon Drop. 

11th Overall in Ludum Dare 41’s Jam category awarded to Dragoon Drop.

Game Curators Best Game of 2017 in the “Juice” category awarded to Dungeon in a Bottle.