This is a really interesting glimpse into the ethereal world of marketing and art direction, but I'm not sure if I agree with the conclusions. If anything, it points to the fact that every branding decision comes with a set of tradeoffs; for example, while the new logo might be more symbolically representative of the game and more cohesive in terms of the angles, the 2nd logo's unboundedness makes the game seem less corporate and more playful. Logo #3 just screams "Hearthstone wannabe" to me, while logo #2 is much more like something I'd want to play. (Thumbs up for the European Aero mockup, though, that made me chuckle!)
(Incidentally, branding aside, this article piqued my interest in the game. Is it worth a play?)
(I am not affiliated with Dinosaur Games in any way. Just a fan of the game.)
> (Incidentally, branding aside, this article piqued my interest in the game. Is it worth a play?)
I've been playing the game on and off for a month or so (since their A Pixel Artist Renounces Pixel Art post went viral). I think it's really nice. From what I've read they wanted to create a game with simple rules and lots of emergent complexity, and they definitely succeeded with that. Even without a story mode, it's quite engaging, and self-balancing (the difficulty level rises the more you win but goes down again if you start losing too much). There are still a few flaws, but nothing jarring, and I think the developers are aware and are still actively improving the game. I'd really like to see their ongoing Kickstarter to succeed (which would add an actual story mode and some other things), but unfortunately it's not looking promising so far. With or without the story mode, definitely worth a shot!
Quest Mode is happening either way, it just might take a little longer...or a lot longer. However, we really believe in it. Personally, I'm really excited for it.
It's intriguing how perceptions are different though: both logos screamed "fantasy-themed indie game" to me, and yet I'd have never associated the second logo with bashing monsters into water if he hadn't pointed it out.
I'm a bit lost. I enjoyed the coke and Apple discussions and their clear emphasis on experience and clarity of product, but he (she?) then just ignores it and goes for a mess of a cube that represents a hex grid where you push monsters into water and ...
I read 1/3 of the article and still do not know what the darn game is nor why they have three really similar logos, nor how the logos seem to be at odds with the in-game designs and themes themselves. and the German version?
so, branding is hard. that's my take away.
edit: so I reread it a bit more carefully... much better.
the confusion is, well if not intentional then at least faithful to his learning curve. one thing that stands out is that the name and brand must convey the mechanics of a game. which I had not thought of before but does seem accurate. angry birds is always with a catapult.
I am wondering if that applies outside of gaming - and if so what?
My second takeaway - no surprises. get what you expect.
my third takeaway - much much better with characters in it. waaaay better
>You know what? They’re absolutely 100% right... The end result turned out to be kind of a mess in terms of a unified palette.
Kudos to them for listening to the feedback. It's too easy to ignore such complaints and instead rationalize away why you're not going to make any changes. I imagine a rework is going to be a lot of work.
I'm not totally convinced that the new logo is a grand improvement, but the "official palette" is quite sweet. Really makes me want to pick up the game.
Some criticisms were valid, like the unbounded negative space not working when placed on some images, but the new logo is less friendly, harder to read, and looks like it was designed to be printed on a sticker.
I started getting that 'pepsi' feeling with the angle heirarchy stuff started...
At first glance, I read the logo as AURD rather than AURO, and I still had a bit of cognitive effort to remember that it's an O after finishing the article and scrolling back to the top.
Could be because I saw the old logos first, which seem far closer to D's than O's and so I was anchored to AURD, but might be worth testing with new players?
Hey, this is the pixel art renouncing guy. A large part of your brand is that you're obsessive over high quality artwork. You didn't rebrand either - you created new artwork, actually furthering the current brand. Most of what you're discussing is about creating a cohesive art style.
In general, if you like Hoplite, try to pay attention to the roguelike genre. Hoplite and 868-HACK both started as entries into the 2013 Seven Day Roguelike challenge (which was my first time entering). You're bound to find more stuff you like there. http://www.reddit.com/r/roguelikes/
(Incidentally, branding aside, this article piqued my interest in the game. Is it worth a play?)
EDIT: For more excellent graphic-design-related content like this, check out Valve's DotA2 art guide: http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/workshop/Dota2Chara...