Industry Overview:
eSports is a rapidly expanding industry where teams compete in digital arenas, gaining popularity due to enhanced technology, pandemic-driven indoor time, and increased sponsorships. In 2018, eSports revenue reached $906 million, growing to $1.08 billion by 2021. The competitive gaming space is now a global phenomenon, bringing communities together for live and virtual tournaments.
Shamrock Gaming
Shamrock Gaming was established to bring the fun of gaming with your friends to the masses. Originally created as a tournament organizer, we have since expanded to community game nights, content creation, podcasts, and much more! With over 150+ members, multiple pro teams, and weekly game nights, there's sure to be something for everyone!
Shamrock Gaming was created by Ty Pierce out of Byron, GA. However with a unique market such as eSports, physical location doesn't have an impact on the business. This means that the scope of this project focus mainly on an online marketing setting.
Target Audience
While the term "gamers" broadly covers the audience, Shamrock Gaming’s primary demographic aligns with the larger eSports industry—males aged 18-34, accounting for 70% of the viewership. This audience has a strong affinity for specific games and niche interests, interacting not just as players but also as fans of the professional scene.
Objectives
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To independently research, design and produce a logo, website, stinger transitions, sports jersey and social media marketing material for Shamrock Gaming.
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To thoroughly research current branding of the eSports atmosphere and develop a cohesive brand presence for Shamrock Gaming that feels recognizable
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To create an overarching brand that stems from my design research
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To implement knowledge of previous design courses to further guide & influence my work in an independent setting
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To articulate design choices on a topic that peers may not be familiar with
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To analyze critique from peers & faculty and perform adjustments to process my work
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To build a cohesive brand structure for an existing company that feels recognizable, but refreshed & exciting
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To defend my design & process choices during faculty review
Research Synopsis
The research for this design problem was curated through already existing brands within the eSports industry, physical sports brands, and the already existing company of Shamrock Gaming. The current design “theme” within eSports is heavily movement and action based. With vibrant colors and kinetic typography, every portion of the design needs to scream excitement.
As shown along side, this mood board describes interactive imagery and typography. Since there are multiple organizations that play within one game, and one organization can span many games, it is vital to create a strong branding through these images with color and typography.
Process Narrative
To come up with the color palette, I looked extensively into current brand books for other organizations. With a name like Shamrock gaming, green is an obvious choice, but I wanted to pull from that something more than what’s expected. So with the rebrand, I chose a mid range green to serve as the base value, a neutral black and a highlight and shadow gray to allow for consistency across any medium. Past the color palette, I created symbolism surrounding the question "Is it better to be lucky or to be skilled?" I wanted there to be no doubts about it.
Skill. Not Luck.
