Apr 29 | 2017The Logo Rationale
As I wrote about in my post: “Minions of Mordak Design Pillars”, the game knows that it exists to scratch that RPG itch that so many of us get when (for various life reasons) we can’t spend ages writing an intricate D&D campaign, or might have trouble committing to weekly late-night RPG Sessions. The game is not shy about being a playful, comedic, nostalgic and sometimes satirical representation of classic RPGs. I love the genre and have played a good many games in it! So I designed this game to condense my fondest memories and favourite aspects those games into a play session that would be easier to commit to. I also really wanted to push the playfulness in my artwork, so that the game would not feel so intense and intimidating to new gamers who might not be so familiar with the genre.
I am the Game Designer, Graphic Designer, and Illustrator of Minions of Mordak. When designing the logo I wanted it to evoke all of the things I just wrote about. I wanted you to see it and feel the nostalgic itch for some old school fantasy-RPG fun-times. I obviously leaned very heavily on Dungeons & Dragons nostalgia, but tried to steer away from the grittiness, and worked in a bit of playfulness with the typography, colours and glitz of it all. To me I also think of Gauntlet legends, Tower of Doom, and so many other games along that vein. Man! I almost downloaded an emulator just thinking about them!
So if you look at this logo and think:
- Dungeons & Dragons
- RPG
- Fantasy
- Funny / Playful
If you look at it and imagine yourself wielding that shield and slaying some epic beasts and filling up that gratifying XP meter…
If you look at it, and like me wanna dust off the old N64 and play some Gauntlet Legends…
Then I guess the logo is working as intended!
But…What’s with the Valour & Villainy, James?
That is a good question. I have a broader vision to expand this game in a couple of exciting ways which I will definitely write more about in the future. Suffice it to say, I want to create different games that play in different ways but leverage the same core rules so that they can be cross compatible and add components that can be used with one another while each offering a totally new way to play. So I wanted to create a brand I could tag above the game’s title so that gamers could realize each was a part of a series of cross compatible games. As I learn more about publishing and have realized that I intend to crowd fund this title on Kickstarter, I’ve decided that it will very likely make sense to operate with Valour & Villainy as my self-publishing pen name.
Anyways that’s it for now! If you are interested in learning more about the art process behind how I made the logo, you can read that here. What does the logo make you think of? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading!