Arcanium corporate identity guidelines

ARCANIUM GAME STUDIOCORPORATE IDENTITY GUIDELINES

Summary

p1 Arcanium Game Studio - Corporate identity guidelines

Introduction

Brand guidelines

Visual identity basics

The logotype

Logo guidelines

Typographic guidelines

Colour guidelines

Building the dividing line

Texture guidelines

Imagery guidelines

Website preview

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Introduction

An indie game studioArcanium Game Studio is an independent (indie) video game development studio. It is currently a one-man studio ran by Dutch founder Paul Sproates but will grow as developers will be recruited in the future.

A lot of indie game studios are appearing in all imagi-nable genres as the power in the game development world is shifting from the big few to the small many. This change is due to growing possibilities in online promotion and distribution. That allows for the publishing company to be cut out to save costs and creative freedom. Arcanium is not very different from other indie developers in this sense.

What makes Arcanium stand out amongst all this competition depends on several core mission state-ments.

-Arcanium is a transparent game studio. It will involve future clients early in the development process, providing constant updates while actually listening to their feedback to improve games.

-Arcanium notices a shortage in jobs for newly gradu-ated game designers. It will therefore set up a platform to act as a connector between these graduates, to work together on projects and become independent as well. In the meantime getting the Arcanium name out there and making useful connections.

-Arcanium will develop games for a mature intelligent audience. These games will tell an engaging story and use cinematographic techniques to evoke strong emotions. What really sets Arcanium games apart will be the moral choices the player has to face in order to progress the story. To be clear; these are intelligent games, so good and evil choices are not obvious and will have major consequences that make you question your own morality.

The corporate identityAn ambitious game studio of course needs a strong visual identity to stand out, become recognizable and convey it’s position in a consistent way. Arcanium’s newly developed corporate identity is designed as a logical visualization of it’s core brand values. Keeping the target audience’s needs and interests in mind and looking closely to competing game studio’s, Arcanium has managed to position itself where it wants to be in the market. And now it has the visual identity to reflect it.

This document introduces the reader to the brand Arcanium and how the visual identity forms around it to convey it’s values. To make sure that Arcanium is recognizable and that it will send out a consistent message, this guide offers a set of guidelines to imple-ment the corporate identity. If you are working with- or designing for the brand in any way be sure to read this document in it’s entirety.

Brand guidelines


Golden circleA popular method of cutting to the essence of a brand is by utilizing a golden circle, taken from the book ‘Start with why’ by Simon Sinek. The circle visualizes the brand’s why, how and what from the inside out. The why defines the core motivation of the brand and is what makes up most of it’s identity. The how states the characteristic methods used by the brand to achieve it’s goals. Finally, the what is the final product or service: essentially, what is being sold.

Arcanium’s golden circle looks like this:

Arcanium Game StudioArcanium Game Studio is a brand only preparing to launch but already it has a lot of personality and a strong vision. These pages are dedicated to define the Arcanium brand so that with every form of communi-cation, it will send out a message that is consistent with it’s views. As long as these values are kept in honour and acted upon, Arcanium will develop itself as a trustworthy, likable brand.

Two sidedIt quickly came to be known that Arcanium has a split personality. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘Arcanum’ which translates to mysterious or esoteric. This name fits perfectly with the games Arcanium is planning to release; heavily emotional, moral games with a dark, gritty tone. These games will be designed as if they are interactive movies in which you constantly have to question the morality of your actions or face the grim consequences.

In contrast to these dark themes and mysterious storytelling lies a whole different side to Arcanium. One of the reasons the studio came into being was because of the realization that the gaming industry is a very closed-off world. Therefore Arcanium is turning a new leaf by making the whole development process open to public. This way future buyers are involved with the game in an early stage and they get to cooper-ate with Arcanium to improve the game as it is being developed.

Continuing in this transparent behaviour, Arcanium has noticed there is a lot of talent graduating from game design courses while the industry has no jobs for them. Because of this, Arcanium will be hosting an online platform to connect these game designers and help them to start projects independently.

These two sides, defined as the bright side and the dark side from now on, were the starting point for Arcanium’s corporate identity.

Arcanium wants to improve transparency and involvement within game development.

WhyHowWhat

by connecting game developers in a way to create opportuni-ties and by actively involving the public with the game development process.

-Intelligent, moral, life-changing games. Designed in coopera-tion with the community.-An online platform to connect game developers to start independent projects.

and ‘Torment, Tides of Numenera’ and Quantic Dream with titles like ‘Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy’ and ‘Heavy Rain’.

We noticed dark, low profile corporate identities that point the main focus to their games. Arcanium keeps the dark atmosphere at least in half it’s identity, but chooses to brand the studio as well as it’s games. Therefore Arcanium’s corporate identity draws more attention to itself while keeping the recognizable game studio look.

While having made a name for themselves and having a lot of experience, the competing studios show little character or vision. This is where Arcanium can pull ahead and win likability by sharing it’s ambitious vision and enthusiasm.

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Tone of voiceFirst of all, as you must have noticed; Arcanium speaks

English. Even though it’s by origin a Dutch brand, the

broad western target audience makes it necessary that Arcanium always communicates in English.

Secondly, Arcanium Game Studio takes it’s audience seriously. The mature intelligent audience Arcanium is aiming for, needs to be spoken to on an equal level with respect. While one of Arcanium’s main objectives is to provide clear information, we don’t want to state the obvious. As an example this document does not tell you that it is forbidden to apply rainbow colours to the logo. It merely makes you familiar with the Arcanium identity and states some rules/guidelines. After reading this document we are sure the user/designer with some common sense will find out about the appropri-ateness of a rainbow colour scheme.

Because the Arcanium brand has a split personality, the tone of voice changes with the side of the brand we use.

On the one side (the bright side) Arcanium wishes to be as open and informative as possible. Communication is honest, to the point and sober. It can feel a bit mechanical at times but the clear transfer of informa-tion is most important of all.

On the other side (the dark side) there is the mysterious aspect. There is a story to be told that captures the imagination and keeps the reader interested. Commu-nication on this side doesn’t need to be informative but it has to be teasing and inviting to read.

Target audienceStudies show that the video game playing demographic hasn't merely consisted of teenagers for a long time. On the contrary; more and more adults play games regularly in their free time. Arcanium has chosen to market to this mature audience with ages ranging from 18 to 40 years old. They are intelligent, educated and interested in philosophical subjects. They are also active on-line and like to contribute to communities. To generalize this target demographic, the persona Frank is used.

Frank is 34 years old, has a family and a programming job in IT. After he comes home from work and puts the kids to bed, he likes to play a video game while his wife watches tv. He especially likes games with some depth to immerse himself in. When he is not working, doing family business or playing games, he likes to watch HBO shows or read literature.

Another target demographic for Arcanium is the young ambitious game designer. Not to sell its games to but to involve them in the on-line game developers commu-nity Arcanium is going to introduce. This group of people is generalized by persona Henry.

Henry is 25 years old and studies Graphic Multimedia. He is about to graduate and wants to make some connections in the gaming industry to start a career. He has been interested in drawing characters and making simple games since he was a kid and still is very enthusiastic about it. He doesn’t watch a lot of tv but enjoys a good blockbuster action movie. He’s also the guitarist of a band that plays small bars once in a while.

CompetitionDirect competition for an indie game studio is very hard to pin down. There are huge amounts of game studios, very big and very small, that have a client base that might be interested in Arcanium Game Studio’s games. To get some sense of competing companies, we looked at high profile studios that develop similar games for a similar audience. Because, to build the Arcanium brand, we need to learn from competing studios. To implement their strong features and improve over their weak points. Visually, there is a lot to learn from competition as well; what kind of corporate identity does the audience expect and on what points can we exceed their expectations and definitely grab their attention?

The two main competing studios we used to compare are Inxile Entertainment with titles like ‘Wasteland 2’

Visual identity basics


A divided identity

Arcanium Game Studio, the new independent game studio in town. This white and black page basically says it all; Arcanium is as bright and clear as it is dark and mysterious. Clear in the way it communicates: making the development process completely transpar-ent for the public. Dark in the way it makes it’s games: Engaging as an interactive movie, unpredictable and full of moral decisions that leave you wondering wether you made the right one. And what is right anyway?

Concluded, the Arcanium brand promise states: clear communication - dark moral gaming. A logo to match

The Arcanium logo presented here is the centrepiece of the visual identity. It is designed to sit nicely on the dividing line between bright and dark whenever it is used on an Arcanium document, website or product. If used externally, it works well as a stand-alone and perfectly illustrates Arcanium’s divided nature and gritty style without using any other visual elements. You can read more about the logo on pages 7 - 10.

White & blackTo visualize this highly contrasted identity, every form of communication Arcanium releases should have a bright and a dark side like this page. It is also essential that the bright side is always on the left side of the page and the dark side on the right.

While the dark side teases the audience with bold visuals, textures and barely legible grunge typography, the bright side clears everything up with clear to-the-point information presented in a calm manner.

Drawing the line

The dividing line between the bright and dark side features a glitched-out block pattern that provides a high-detail futuristic style as well as a nod to the video game media Arcanium deals in.

Where the dividing line is drawn depends on the nature of the message at hand. If there is a lot of eye candy to be shown, the line can be moved far to the left to create a larger dark side. If there needs to be more backup information the opposite can be done to provide the bright side with more space. When dealing with print, the choice can be made to appoint the bright and dark sides to the front and back side of the paper.

Whenever the medium allows it, the line should be interactive to give the user control over the informa-tion shown. Similar to eventual Arcanium games where the player has control over the thin line between good and evil.

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The Logotype


On the light side of the logotype, the corners of lettershapes are rounded

off for a friendlier feel.

The Arcanium logotype is a custom designed typeface inspired by the Futura typeface, designed in the 1950’s by Paul Renner. Staying true to the geometric nature of Futura, the Arcanium logotype is comprised of basic lines such as circle-sections and straight lines. Also like Futura, a constant line width is maintained

throughout every letter shape offering a modern mechanical look.

The main characteristics defining this typeface are the curves of the the letters A, N and M, intersecting into sharp points.

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The subtitle is set in capitals of Futura LT Heavy. The logotype being inspired by the Futura typeface makes for a good fit between the two.

Logo guidelines


Adding correct space around the logo.

Use this version of the logo whenever possible

The symbol version is only meant to be used at small sizes as an icon

1x

1x1x

1 + 1/3x

2/3x

1a

1/3a

1/3a1/3a

1/3a

There are a few things to keep in mind when working with the Arcanium logo to place it in a correct visually pleasing way.

What version to useFirst of all, there are two versions of the logo you can use; the complete logotype with subtitle and the basic symbol of the divided letter A. It is preferred to use the full logo whenever possible, especially in the first stages of the game studio’s launch when brand aware-ness is being built. A symbol offers no recognition for somebody unaware of the brand, therefore it is crucial for the logo to say: Arcanium is the name and we are a game studio.

The symbol is mainly to be used when space is limited or when a square logo shape is preferable. It is ideal as an icon, for instance a website’s favicon.

PlacementSecondly, where and how the logo is placed is impor-tant for it’s legibility and visual effect.

The visual identity dictates there should always be a division between bright and dark on any form of visual communication Arcanium sends out. The logo should be right on the division whenever possible.

For external use we have to make sure that the logo has the right contrasting background and some breathing space around it. The solution to this is to build a rectangular background behind the logo, half white - half black, with the edge right on the division of the middle letter A.

MeasurementTo calculate the space between the logotype and the background’s edges we take the x-height of the word. In this case that is the exact height of the letter I. Then add 1 + 1/3x above the letter I, 2/3x below the baseline of the subtitle and 1x left and right of the logotype.

For the symbol we take the exact height of the full letter A as 1a. Then add 1/3a of space in every direc-tion.

Even in cases where the background is not needed, keep these values of empty space around the logo.

With this background configuration a white page will only show the black field of the background and a black page only the white. On any other page the full background will appear to show the logo with the best possi-ble contrast.

To remain legible, the minimal width of the full logo is set at 120 pixels. If it absolutely needs to be smaller it is better to use the symbol only.

Finally, the most important rule of placing any logo: it is unacceptable to scale the logo disproportionally or change colour in any way.

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Minimal width: 120 px

Placement of the logo on varying backgrounds

Whenever there is complete control over the visual identity; place the logo directly on the white/black border

There are a few things to keep in mind when working with the Arcanium logo to place it in a correct visually pleasing way.

What version to useFirst of all, there are two versions of the logo you can use; the complete logotype with subtitle and the basic symbol of the divided letter A. It is preferred to use the full logo whenever possible, especially in the first stages of the game studio’s launch when brand aware-ness is being built. A symbol offers no recognition for somebody unaware of the brand, therefore it is crucial for the logo to say: Arcanium is the name and we are a game studio.

The symbol is mainly to be used when space is limited or when a square logo shape is preferable. It is ideal as an icon, for instance a website’s favicon.

PlacementSecondly, where and how the logo is placed is impor-tant for it’s legibility and visual effect.

The visual identity dictates there should always be a division between bright and dark on any form of visual communication Arcanium sends out. The logo should be right on the division whenever possible.

For external use we have to make sure that the logo has the right contrasting background and some breathing space around it. The solution to this is to build a rectangular background behind the logo, half white - half black, with the edge right on the division of the middle letter A.

MeasurementTo calculate the space between the logotype and the background’s edges we take the x-height of the word. In this case that is the exact height of the letter I. Then add 1 + 1/3x above the letter I, 2/3x below the baseline of the subtitle and 1x left and right of the logotype.

For the symbol we take the exact height of the full letter A as 1a. Then add 1/3a of space in every direc-tion.

Even in cases where the background is not needed, keep these values of empty space around the logo.

With this background configuration a white page will only show the black field of the background and a black page only the white. On any other page the full background will appear to show the logo with the best possi-ble contrast.

To remain legible, the minimal width of the full logo is set at 120 pixels. If it absolutely needs to be smaller it is better to use the symbol only.

Finally, the most important rule of placing any logo: it is unacceptable to scale the logo disproportionally or change colour in any way.

Typographic guidelines

Colour guidelines

p11 Arcanium Game studio - Corporate identity guidelines

Setting text for ArcaniumArcanium’s corporate identity hinges on two main font-families. PMN Caecilia for the bright side and Futura LT for the dark side.

Futura was the inspiration for the logotype which in it’s turn was the starting point for the whole identity. This well-known geometric sans-serif typeface offers the sharp, futuristic look Arcanium wants to associate itself with. Futura is not designed to be easily readable in text but that is fine. The dark side needs to be visually striking above all, readability is not important at all since we have a whole informative bright side to back it up.

Caecilia is a friendly faced slab-serif typeface which makes for an excellent display typeface for titles but also offers good readability in text. Perfect for the clear informative side of Arcanium’s identity.

Colour guidelinesThere are a couple of basic colours that make up the Arcanium brand colour palette. Of coarse there is black and white as well as two shades of blue. Especially on the bright side, it is important to use these exact colours.

Like the typography, there is a lot of creative slack in the choice of colours when it comes to Arcanium’s dark side. You can use different levels of Arcanium’s cyan or warm rusty reds, oranges and yellows to compliment. Watch out that your palette doesn’t become too bright as the dark gritty theme must be prominent. It is also encouraged to mix colours and textures by overlapping with transparency.

PMN CaeciliaabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789

Big title - 75 Bold - 18pt

Small title - 75 Bold - 12pt

Text emphasis - 75 Bold - 9pt

Text - 45 Light - 9pt

Description - 46 Light Italic - 9pt

LeadingAll 9pt text fonts should apply a leading (also known as line spacing) of 13pt for ideal readability. Leading between small titles and text is set to 15pt.

15pt

13pt

ColumnsThe bright side of the identity relies on the systematic

use of columns. The ideal column width for 9pt text is calculated to be 20 picas (or 240px). Depending on how much space is available, you can choose how many columns to use.

20 picas

The basic color palette

Rich blackCMYK

60 60 60 100

Warm blackCMYK

70 70 65 70

Arcaniums main colour.Use for the logo, black fields and other graphical elements.

For maximum contrast.For the logo, white text and backgrounds; use pure white.

A cool blue for a bit of colour.Use for titles and details of the divider that need some colour.

A lighter shade of blue.Use for emphasis in text and non-selected website buttons, etc.

A black that stands out.Use for all text and line work that needs the extra contrast.

Pure whiteCMYK0 0 0 0

Dark cyanCMYK

82 49 17 0

Light cyanCMYK

49 22 12 0

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Futura LTabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789

This is an example of a text box with jagged edges set with Futura Condensed with full justification, aligned right.

This is the way text should look on the dark side: chaotic and just barely readable.

This is an example of appropriate colours to use on the dark side. Remember; exact colours are up to the

designer to choose as long as they fit the dark visual style.

Note that these colours have a 70% opacity to blend in with the texture and reduce brightness.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Maecenas feugiat

sapien ac neque pretium a mollis nisl hendrerit. Quisque id lorem orci. In accumsan

pellentesque iaculis. Aenean euismod commodo nunc, nec tempor mi cursus eu.

Building the dividing line


Use this basic module to start building the divider

The most basic building blocks and grid

Copy, flip and expand your line for a second layer that will become the background of the dark side.

Copy the module and randomize by repositioning small blocks. Add transparency and colour to the first layer and texture to the second.

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5.

2.

3.

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The moral measure also seen on the top and bottom of this page.

Lining imagery with building blocksA modular systemThe dividing line present in all Arcanium communica-tion is supposed to look like a seemingly random glitch pattern. Though, to keep some form of consistency and keep things easy to use for designers, a modular approach is used.

1. Blocks of three sizes are created, the thinnest of which becomes the measure of a vertical grid that is kept throughout the line.

2. With these blocks, a base module is created which you can use as a starting point to build lines of varying sizes.

Note that on the right side of the module, the lines stick out further and form a more jagged edge. These lines are not used for the standard divider but can be used to line imagery featured on the dark side.

3. Copy the module several times and place them underneath each other. Now change some small features in each module to prevent repeating patterns.

4. Copy the whole line, slightly move it to the right, flip it vertically and merge the individual blocks together. After you expand it to fill your medium, this will now be the background field. You can apply textures to this field.

5. On the original line; change opacity to 90% and apply the dark cyan colour to random narrow blocks. The multi-layered dividing line is now finished.

The measuring lineAnother design element that is used on Arcaniums dark side is the measuring line. It is there to symbolize a moral measure to read where you have drawn the line, morally speaking. Of course it is all skewed up like every element on the dark side. That’s why we flip the scale or set numbers upside down at random occa-sions. The numbers are set in Futura LT Condensed Light and are, just like the stroke, 50% transparent

Textures

Imagery


A rough feelThe dark side of Arcanium’s identity will gain a lot from grunge textures to improve on it’s chaotic, highly detailed look. On default we use the texture shown on the left which features a weathered and scratched metal surface. This particular texture is seamlessly tileable to cover big areas. For the best results, place it over warm black with 50% opacity on the overlay blending mode.

Like with many other aspects, the use of textures on the dark side leaves a lot of room for variation. Similar textures can be used as long as they have the same grungy look and desaturated colours. Old metal, wood, rocks and bricks, stains and paint splatters are all acceptable. If it fits and looks good, it is good. Textures can also be blended into imagery on the dark side.

As a rule; Arcaniums bright side is completely flat design and never uses textures, only pure white backgrounds.

How to handle imageryMost imagery belongs on the dark side as that is where visual eye-candy is displayed as the main focal point. As game development progresses, work like mood boards, concept art, illustrations, 3D models, anima-tions, video’s and screenshots can be showed off here. Like mentioned before, imagery can be lined by block elements similar to the dividing line, blended in with other imagery and overlayed with textures. Basic rectangular image frames are highly discouraged.

Imagery of a more informative nature finds it’s place on the bright side. Think of graphs, info graphics and technical screen captures, as long as it helps clarify the information being shared. These pictures, in contrast to the dark side, should be framed and aligned neatly to other elements.

The standard tileable texture.

An example of imagery on the bright side

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Examples of other acceptable textures

A preview on what imagery on the dark side should look like

Website preview


The complete pictureAs a final preview of Arcanium’s corporate identity we show you a mock-up of the official website. Here you can see all the elements explained previously, working together in unison. This is Arcanium Game Studio.

The menu is nice and clean and naturally sits at the bright side of the page. We use the dark cyan for the current page and light cyan for non selected buttons.

For the informative content on the bright side we use clearly organized columns that all align to a grid. There is a lot of white space to make the page look calm.

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The Arcanium logo placed exactly over the dividing line between bright and dark.

The dark side in all it’s chaotic glory. Imagery is built in to the background lined with a seam-ingly random block pattern. All

overlayed with a grunge texture. The typography is wild, unorgan-

ized and screams for attention.

There is room for storytelling that grabs the reader’s interest.

The dividing line, featuring the modular glitch pattern, is made interactive on the website. The user can slide it left to right changing the content between informative and visual.

A complete guide to using the Arcanium Game Studio corporate identity with

consistancy

This document serves as an introduction to the Arcanium Game Studio brand and it’s corporate identity. It should be read completely by anyone designing or communicating for Arcanium to insure a consistant image.

All concepting and graphic design work for the Arcanium corporate identity is done by Arjan Vriezen.

The Arcanium brand is defined by Arjan Vriezen in guidance of founder Paul Sproates.

Documents

Arcanium corporate identity guidelines