Players only stay with what they see themselves in.
Gaming communities spot a brand that is faking it at once. Sinh Vũ gives your game, studio or team a personality distinct enough for players to recognize, remember and carry with pride.
Three things: a world of its own, expressed through the icon and characters; a short trailer that makes clear where the game differs; and a visual set strong enough to carry through every season. Players decide in a few seconds, so all three have to be clear at first glance.
Icon, characters, color and type all speak of one world that only this game or team has.
The first few seconds show what sets the game apart from others in its genre, before viewers scroll away.
The fixed parts stay the same, and the parts that change with each season or update are kept separate.
All of them belong to the world of games, but each needs its community in a different way.
Their customersDomestic players choosing among many titles, with big publishers at home and abroad.
Brand challengeGive players a reason to remember the publisher's name, so every new title stands on ground people already trust.
Their customersPublishers and players in many countries, who usually know the title before they know the studio.
Brand challengeKeep one quality when four or five production teams work together: art, characters, interface and communications.
Their customersYoung fans who follow a team on emotion, through social media and tournament stages.
Brand challengeHave an identity strong enough that fans still recognize the team when the roster changes, and sponsors see a professional partner.
These are the places where game brands tend to lose players, even when the game is good or the team is strong.
Characters, colors and fonts echo the hit titles; players find it familiar but not distinctive.
Find the world in the studio's own material, and build the icon and characters around it.
Start from this problemThe trailer opens with a logo and a long greeting; viewers scroll away before they see the game.
Open with the most characteristic moment of play, build short motion, and match the rhythm of the game's characters and sound.
Start from this problemA different uniform and photo style each season; new fans don't recognize it as the same team.
Separate the fixed parts (icon, core color, voice) from the parts that change by season (uniform, backgrounds, patterns).
Start from this problemArt, characters, interface and communications are made by different teams and assembled into a patchwork world.
One shared standard the whole team consults before deciding, so every small piece still belongs to the same world.
Start from this problemAt the Evaluate stage. Players watch the trailer and look at a few images on the download page, then decide within seconds. An image that looks like dozens of other games gets scrolled past.
Touchpoints are the places where players and fans see the brand. You don't need to do everything at once. These five decide most of the first emotion.
The face players remember, printed on shirts, avatars and everything the community makes itself.
For many people the first meeting with the game, deciding whether they download or scroll past.
They appear on stage and in post-match photos, so they have to look good on camera and be recognizable from far away.
Where the community meets in person; a stage that looks like every other tournament's is forgotten.
Where new players find the game, and where the community talks about it every day.
Listed in the order to do them. A newly formed team stops at step two or three; a publisher with many titles goes all the way.
Name, icon, characters, color and type: the base for everything that follows.
A trailer and motion for the icon and the welcome screen.
Uniforms, stage and materials for tournaments and community meetups.
Brand guidelines so production teams and later seasons keep the same quality.
When you have an app or a site of your own: a digital design system for the interface.
Sinh Vũ has not published a game or esports team project. The three below are closest: a digital world built by several teams, a young playground with personality, and a character users remember.
Metacity builds a 3D city where residents buy land, raise buildings and earn a living from the work of building. Sinh Vũ built the brand foundation and the standards behind it…
Four production teams building one 3D world; a shared standard keeps every piece the same place.
Keeng is Viettel's music service for young Vietnamese, stepping into a crowded market. Sinh Vũ shaped the name, the interface and the promotional system so Keeng could ring out clearly…
A name written as if it were vibrating, in lotus pink and lime yellow: a playground for young people loud enough to stand out among familiar logos.
Sinh Vũ brought the owl Babi to every corner of Babilala, from the English learning screen to objects children aged 3 to 8 can hold, trustworthy enough to put parents at ease.
A well-loved character is what users remember longest, so the character is the center of the brand.
The principles behind it
A shape or lettering that is recognizable at avatar size, that expresses the game's world, and that still looks good when shrunk or placed on a dark background. Test it beside the logos of games in the same genre to avoid resemblance.
A distinct icon, a core color, uniforms that are recognizable from far away and one consistent voice on social media. Keep the parts that change each season separate so the main identity doesn't drift.
Colors that contrast clearly with the stage and the opponents, the icon placed where cameras tend to look, and a team name that stays legible when the jersey moves. Test with a real shoot under stage lighting before mass production.
What decides it is the first few seconds, so put the most characteristic moment of play right there. The rest of the length depends on where it is posted: a short cut for social media, a longer one for the download page and events.
Yes, even a lean one. Publishers and players usually know the game's name before the studio's, so a mark and a few clear lines of introduction help the studio be remembered through each title.
Start from the world of the game or the organizer, then express it through color, patterns and background motion. Keep it unified from the stage and live graphics to the photos posted online.
A few lines about the game or team, the community and what is holding you back is enough. Sinh Vũ reads it and replies within one working day.