Last night I retreated back into my childhood when my friend Julie brought over the game of Sorry.  As she dusted off the top of the box and began to unfold the board and assemble the pieces, I noticed that this game had seen some years.  I checked the copyright date on the back of the box and found that it was from 1964.
    As the game continued, and as I was unable to get any of my yellow pieces out of the starting gate, I began to notice the design on the back of the discarded pile of cards.  A stack of circles, each smaller than the next sat within the previous circle, moving towards top of the largest circle, condensing the northern most part of each circle into a single line.  Unaware of the unbelievable practice of gestalt’s theory that I had just witnessed, I continued to play the game.  Finally my luck was turning around and I had successfully secured three of my pieces in home base.  Having turned over the last card in the pile, it was my turn to shuffle the deck.  In doing so I studied the cards one more time, and then all of a sudden everything clicked and it became so clear to me how these circles built up the pieces of the game, as if you were looking down on them. 
    I used other words when describing how cool that was to my friends, but that’s freaking awesome. I couldn’t believe how simple, clean, crisp and clever that design was/is.  My utmost respect to the designer who created that.  45 years later we’re still playing that same game, and that design is still amazing.  I guess great work really does withstand the test of time.  


Cheers!
    Alex Kocher