Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Noah Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Noah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
The town I grew up in (Ferndale, WA) had a nearby community college with an award-winning Visual Communications (AKA Graphic Design) program, and also something called, “Running Start” which allowed Junior and Senior high school students to take college courses during their high school years. I was homeschooled until I went to Running Start, and I am grateful to my parents for doing so. They taught me to always try new things, figure out how to solve problems, and how to think critically. They also taught me a strong work ethic, and if I wasn’t homeschooled and didn’t have such great parents, I honestly would not be where I am now, having started two companies and doing freelance graphic design and web design.
When my grandpa passed away in 2021, he left and inheritance to my parents, and they were gracious enough to help start up my first company, Nomich Games, by paying for the first print run of our debut game, ExeCUTEtion.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Noah Johnson, I’m 21 years old, am married to my wonderful wife, and hail from the city of Coeur D’Alene, ID. I am a graphic designer, web developer, motion graphics animator game designer, improviser, community-builder, and so much more. To sum me up: I love serving people, bringing community together, and creating cool things.
One of the companies I founded with my family back in 2020 is Nomich Games, a small, USA-based board game publisher. We’re a family-run business who are passionate about promoting community through tabletop games that are easy to learn, quick to play, and fun for everyone involved. With all of our games, we keep the production inside the USA, because I believe it is important to support our local economy and production, I do all of the graphic design for our games, as well as web development for our websites. I made an e-commerce site where you can buy our games.
Our 3 Core Values are: 1) People > Money, 2) Fun & Affordable, 3) Genuine Value. For more details visit out website at: www.nomichgames.com/about-us
We have published one game thus far: ExeCUTEtion: The Card Game of Adorable Capital Punishment. It’s a fun, simple, fast-paced strategy game for 2-6 players that is pretty addictive. A reviewer once told me that it’s “the perfect blend of playing cards out of strategy, and playing cards purely to spire other players”
The way we got started was because one of my sisters, Rebecca, and I found that we make an amazing game-designing team. With all of my graphic design expertise, I was able to do all of the web development we needed, as well as all branding, and artwork for our games. With our first game, ExeCUTEtion, we really thought we had something that 1) Could be profitable, 2) We wanted to share with others. We were also frustrated with how the tabletop gaming industry always outsources their production overseas, and we wanted to change that. We are a 100% USA-based company, and we will never compromise on that. It is more difficult, and requires a lot more creative problem-solving, but it’s worth it!
We have another game that will we will be launching a crowdfunding campaign for in February called Shuffle Kerfuffle, which is another simple, addictively fun game based around shuffling cards and risk-taking.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Support your local designers and artists. People could stop outsourcing to other countries just because they’re cheaper, or using services like Fiverr. Platforms like that tend to perpetuate an under-valuing art and design, and it damages the industry as a whole.
Support your local artists, designers, and creatives! It’s better for everyone, and you’ll get more than an awesome piece of design: You’ll get a relationship with someone who cares about your success!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I get to use the skills and abilities that God has blessed me with to make cool things that help people. I also LOVE that I get to work with awesome people and create a network of a bunch of people who are making waves. It can be difficult at times, when jobs are few and far between and you’re not sure if you’ll be able to pay your living expenses, but it’s worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nomichgames.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/NomichGames
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NomichGames
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomich/
- Twitter: @nomich_
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@LevityTheatre
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/levity-theatre-improv-comedy-club-post-falls
- Other: My online Design Portfolio: https://www.nomichdesign.com
Image Credits
Noah Johnson, Anneli Anderson