Not really being used to this sort of thing, I took a little time to look at other game's title logos for inspiration. But at the same time it's much like working with words/letters on anything else. Whether or not they are bold, slim, muted, colorful, close together, or widely spaced will affect the audience's perception of the game.
Not only that, but it has to communicate much of what the game is about on first glance. How can I make something that screams 'sidescrolling platformer set in a land of patchwork dolls being controlled by a sorceress who has kidnapped your significant other'?
Maybe that's a little too tall of an order. But I did want to incorporate the patchwork idea, as well as keep the overall logo bright and eye catching. It's a pretty light-hearted game all things considered.
First pass.
Trying to decide on appropriate textures at this stage, as well as an overall color scheme. The game has hints of being set in a somewhat fabricated world where things are stitched together rather than being made of natural materials, so I wanted some sort of seam or stitching in the letters somewhere. Not really satisfied with the colors/spacing, and neither was the rest of the team.
Was also trying to consider what traits the main character has that really stand out. Mario's hat and oddly shaped mustache give him away. And Sonic, well... do you know any other blue hedgehogs?
I had to take a good look at our main character and ask: at first glance, what really sets her apart from any other lead in a video game?
It's gotta be the haircut.
They say a character's silhouette should be stronger than any other detail. While I don't 100% agree, in this case I think it works. I was searching for a way to incorporate her silhouette into the logo, and it occurred to me that the little cut in her ponytail coincides with the letter V.
Second pass.
The dark blue that the letters were set against in the 1st version made too much of a contrast, so the dark tones in this one are warmer to match the reds and oranges in the letters. Decided it might be nice to incorporate part of the environment the game is set in. Included a wooden backing to match some of the buttons on the main menu. Changed up the text and made the letters myself instead of typing them out in a pre-made font, playing with negative space. Still trying to make Ava's head silhouette work, but at this point I began to second guess and question if it was forced or not. Ultimately they felt the logo was too boxy and wanted something more horizontal, so this one wasn't getting used anyway.
Third pass.
With a horizontal layout, I couldn't figure a graceful method of incorporating the head silhouette, so instead the red backpack is emphasized. No frills really on this one so it ends up feeling like a lot is missing. The texture is a bit overdone as well, losing that bright, imaginative quality and bordering on dull.
Fourth pass.
Focusing on making the environment part of the logo again. Reading left to right displays the progression of the game's levels in the background--grassland, snowy mountain, cave--to try to emphasize the whole adventure/platformer aspect. Letter stitching and texture is also back in a (hopefully) less forced manner. I've also noticed that a lot of logos have at least two outlines, one dark and one light... I assume this is done to create contrast regardless of what's behind it since these logos are often used in multiple places (game boxes, merchandise, splash screens, etc.). I think it allows readability so the logo doesn't end up getting lost on the surface it's placed on.
Fairly happy with the outcome, and the early mistakes were necessary to get to this point. Part of me wishes the head silhouette could have been incorporated somehow but maybe it's for the best. We probably don't want a female lead character who's only remembered because of what her hair looks like.
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