Role
Lead Graphic Designer
Duration
March 2024
Worked With
Angel Zhey
Tools and Skills
Overview
‘Golden Goose’ is a competitive esports tournament designed to engage the University of Waterloo's gaming community. Held yearly within March, the event offered students the opportunity to compete in their favourite titles (Valorant, Rocket League, and League of Legends) for a chance to win a share of the $250 prize pool.
With last year's Golden Goose event coinciding with the Lunar New Year, themed around the Year of the Rabbit, I collaborated with my marketing director, Eric, to brainstorm ideas for this year. Wanting to maintain a 'royal' theme that would captivate our audience, I found inspiration in the concept of 'high prestige', particularly drawn from League of Legends' 'Prestige' skin line.
Angel (my co-graphic designer) and I each created our moodboards independently, then convened to discuss the elements we wished to directly draw inspiration from.
Combined Moodboards
This marked my first direct collaboration with another designer on a single graphic. Initially, we both dealt with uncertainty regarding our approach to the project. However, we shared an equal confidence that our visions were aligned, as evidenced by our discussions during the moodboarding phase and the rough sketch we developed. As part of our collaborative effort, our team assigned Kim, our illustrator, to create unique illustrations inspired by the games featured in the Golden Goose series for marketing materials.
Upon receiving some of these illustrations, our plan was to integrate them into the main promotional graphic, outlined in an extremely rough sketch to convey our vision for the final product. Angel handled the foundational design, arranging the illustrations to establish a cohesive visual narrative. Then, I refined the overall composition, integrating typography and essential information, while introducing decorative elements to enhance the graphic's visual appeal.
Rough Sketches of Ideas
Base Design (Angel)
Main Promo Graphic (Me)
Oftentimes, the visual look of a video game stream is left to be an afterthought as most viewers focus on the gameplay that is occurring. However, we had recognized the importance of enhancing the overall viewer experience by including unique visuals and animations correlating to the theme of 'Golden Goose'.
Consequently, we ensured that our stream not only captivates through gameplay but also through its cohesive and engaging visual presentation.
Motion Graphic Animation
Streamlining collaboration enhances the ease and enjoyment of the work process.
Through establishing clear roles and responsibilities, Angel and I were able to complete this graphic in less than ~3 days, including our meetings for moodboarding and discussing our theme. It fostered a strong a sense of synergy between me and her, allowing both our skills to shine evenly on this collaborative graphic.
Reinforcing the theme enhances attendee experience.
Observing the tournament from home, witnessing the visual consistency between our social media content and the stream instilled a profound sense of satisfaction, heightening anticipation as countdown timers begun. Despite the participants being ordinary university students, this consistency imbued the event with a sense of uniqueness and excitement.
Thus, consistent branding amplifies the impact and resonance of the event, contributing to its success and leaving a lasting impression on participants.
