Yesterday, PRINT Magazine published an interview diving into Art of Play’s Tangram journal, including my contributions as puzzle designer.
It’s abundantly clear that they “get” what we’re doing with this journal:
The creatives behind this high-quality publication know play is an art form. We talked to their team about helping readers document their creative process and go “into wonder.”
You can read the full interview here, and pick up your copies of Tangram on Art of Play’s website (pro tip: there’s a 20% discount if you buy all 4 volumes together!)
Most of the interview responses were written by my brilliant collaborators: Alex Hansford, Adam Rubin, and Dan and Dave Buck. The ethos of curiosity-driven puzzle-solving is woven throughout the entire interview, just as it’s woven throughout the entire contents of the Tangram journals. Even the articles, photos, and stories that aren’t explicitly puzzles often still feel quite “puzzly.”
And then there was one question that was directed just toward me:
How would you define a good puzzle? And what’s your process for creating them in every issue?
Matthew Stein: A good puzzle guides the solver through meaningful shifts in perception that lead them to see the world with heightened wonder, curiosity, and attention to detail. A puzzle— in the style presented in Tangram— is a highly dynamic experience contained within a static artifact. What may appear to be a series of words, numbers, or images can prompt the solver to venture down deep research rabbit holes, to transcend and physically transform the printed page, or even to find hidden treasure. The best puzzles have more layers than first meet the eye, with intricately constrained internal architectures that provide intermediate confirmation to assure the solver that, yes, they’re still on the right track. And when they reach the final answer, that endpoint should — like in many a magic routine — feel elegant and inevitable.
When designing the puzzles in Tangram, I always start from the end: how can the meta structure augment each volume’s core themes, how do I take solvers on an exhilarating journey that starts in their homes and then continues out into the real world in unexpected ways, and, most importantly, how do I want the solver to feel by the time the final pieces click together? From there, the metapuzzle establishes some constraints for any number of “feeder puzzles,” which contribute their answers (and sometimes more) to the meta. In creating each puzzle, I pull inspiration from the mediums and methods of the featured artists in each volume, sometimes even creating new puzzle artwork directly in their styles. I present a wide variety of puzzle mechanics and techniques that establish a shared language with solvers, bolstering their puzzling abilities across volumes while subverting their expectations at every turn.
In Other News…
I am finally almost finished with EnigMarch! (Yes, I know it’s already April. What can I say, I had a busy March.)
You can find all my puzzles over on my Instagram @enigmida. My bonus design goal this year: collab with as many different people as possible! I ended up with 18 different collabs (and nearly 25 unique collaborators if you include a Patreon community collab.)
I contributed a Pennsylvania-themed puzzle to Puzzles for Democracy, a 51-puzzle book that is also a fundraiser for a pro-democracy organization. Make a donation to get your copy now at puzzlesfordemocracy.com.
Coming up on April 29: Room Escape Artist’s annual Golden Lock Awards.
Oh, and if you happen to attend an event in an art gallery at the World Trade Center this Friday and spot a mysterious red phone, make sure to pick it up ☎️
Cryptically yours,
Matthew