Case Study
Dash Tag Branding
Client: WildWorks
Scope: Logo design, app icon design
Art Direction: Tom Tolman, Jaimee Christensen
One of the biggest projects I was able to work on during my time at WildWorks was Dash Tag, a new endless runner game in the same vein as Temple Run or Subway Surfers. As marketing graphic designer, I was brought on board to develop the look and feel of the brand assets that would advertise the game. I would ultimately get to design the logo and the app icon from start to finish. The imagery would be employed on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, and Amazon, and would appear on every device that downloaded the app.
Research
I was given free rein during the exploratory period of the project, and my only guidance was to design something that would communicate the “speed” aspect of the game. I also wanted to keep the logo in line with the visual conventions set by WildWorks’ other games.
From the outset I thought the logo should be visually tied to the notion of speed, so I started my research by looking at vintage cars, Hot Wheels packaging, and old racing memorabilia. Somewhere along my journey I found the perfect source of inspiration in mid-century “funny car” graphics. The sides of drag race vehicles, or funny cars, are often bedecked in unique hand-painted lettering styles to show off the name of the driver and the car in a distinct and memorable way.
Process
Using the high-octane drag race imagery as a starting point, I was able to start sketching some concepts for the logo:
After submitting these ideas to the game team and incorporating their feedback, I went back to the drawing board. I came up with some new options that better communicated the spirit of the game and fit in with the established art style, while continuing to pull inspiration from the drag race graphics of yore.
When I submitted these concepts for review, I got some key feedback to mix up my lettering styles instead of sticking to one “voice” for the whole logo. I took that to heart and started playing around with ways to inject some variety into the mark.
We had a final contender at last, and the checkered flag was in sight! After a couple rounds of back-and-forth with my art directors to put some polish on the letterforms (literally), we settled on the final lockup.
After one last trip back to the future (I couldn’t’ve done it without speed lines!), we crossed the finish line with the final logo at last:
App Icon
After completing the logo, it was time to nail down the app icon. Although the wordmark was perfectly able to identify the app on the splash screen and app store assets, it wouldn’t be appropriate to use it on the app icon itself. We needed a small eye-catching graphic that could encapsulate the action at the heart of the game, and show off one of our cute animals in the process.
I started by picking some of the best pets from a list of viable options and then illustrated some action poses. I wasn’t sure if an illustrated environment or an abstract background would perform better, so I decided to present both options.
After looking at the icons at scale on a phone screen, I realized that the clouds and bushes in the illustrated backgrounds tended to muddle the silhouette of the pet. An abstract suggestion of speed using simple shapes was the way to go. Also, since cats and dogs are the most popular animals chosen by players in Animal Jam (WildWorks’ most popular property), we figured it was safe to narrow it down to Fido, Sparky, Shadow, and Tiger.
After much deliberation, it was decided that Tiger was the best option for an app icon that would appeal to both boys and girls and attract players from both inside and outside of Animal Jam’s player base. But there was one problem...he was too cute!
To avoid coming off as a Littlest Pet Shop competitor, Tiger needed a few modifications. I presented a couple different face options that would show off Tiger’s more adventurous side, and hopefully appeal to the boys in our demographic.
After much deliberation, it was decided that Fierce Tiger would be the best contender to compete against the Subway Surfers of the app store world. After some color adjustments and final tweaks by my art director, the app icon was ready for showtime.
Conclusion
Dash Tag was a major hit after launching in February of 2018, and is still one of the highest ranking endless runners on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon! It was so rewarding to be able to download an app and see something on my screen that I had a major part in creating. Dash tag is definitely one of my favorite projects to date!
