AEG was a repeat client for an agency I worked for at the time and during my employment I had the opportunity to contribute to a couple different game designs. Ninja was my favorite because I was much more involved than I had been in the previous game designs for AEG. This time I would create a unique product brand and logo for the board game “Ninja - Legend of the Scorpion” and establish design aesthetics to be applied creatively while upholding the brand identity and theme of the game. Specifications from the client included a request that the logo represent the culture of the game in a subtle reference through typography or illustration. Subtle stylistic characteristics were included in the typography design rather than a popular trend of bold lettering in other ninja branded games in the market space. A ninja silhouette would need included in the logo usage. Lastly, the cover artwork for the board game packaging was intentionally dark and needed to emulate shadow and illumination as if at night or the logo is glowing by light, lamplight, or fire.
I spent some time researching and brainstorming to conceptualize the brand and logo design and how that would trickle down to the package design and game piece assets including the rulebook and user guide. We collaborated as a team with the stakeholders and illustrators providing artwork to incorporate the imagery into the overal game design including the game pieces and packaging design. After executing the logo design we applied the same design and visual styles to all the elements to cohesively bring together the board game and all related items.
The final solution was a subtle illuminated Ninja logo with dark fire-lit illuminated design aesthetics sprinkled throughout the board design and accompanied pieces. Cultural details such as scrolls and other relevant design aspects were included in everything from the playing cards to the user guide and rulebook page design. Each component accentuated the concept and overall feel of the board game and the illustrations throughout.
A visually arresting logo and boldly illuminated design cohesively tied together all the components within and encasing the game itself but also set the ambiance and vibe with the by lamplight feel. The design was highly reviewed in the gaming community and the illustrations and overall design was a success.
One foot deep in creative and one foot deep in the alpine. Designing solutions to solve big challenges & suffering in beautiful places.
