T. Trinh

rinh

arrior

sports

Warriors Esports is a competitive gaming organization that focuses on a range of esports competitions and tournaments. Originally known as the UW League of Legends Club and later as the UW Esports Club, it evolved into a university-sponsored organization affiliated with the University of Waterloo in 2021. Comprised of students, they engage in various games such as League of Legends, Overwatch, Valorant, and others, frequently taking part in collegiate esports leagues and events.

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Role

Lead Graphic Designer

Duration

February 2023 - April 2024

Tools & Skills

Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Creative Direction, Digital Marketing

Back

ackground

Previously, while transitioning from the UW League of Legends Club to Warriors Esports, the club had experimented with its branding through various posts, using a wide range of colours, fonts, and design styles. However, this resulted in an unclear brand identity that showcased an opportunity for improvement, especially as they evolved into an organization.

hought

rocess

To define a more explicit sense of branding for the org, I brainstormed diverse ideas and looked into how professional esports teams executed theirs. Drawn towards the unique appeal of 100 Thieves and learning from other Esports organizations' designs, I observed a recurring trend among these graphics:

To unify diverse characters from games with distinct colour palettes, these teams would render them in black and white, adding accent hues reflective of the organization’s colour scheme
Sans serif fonts, subtle textures in image backgrounds, and depth perception were often used to create a dynamic and immersive feeling

Moodboard created through Behance '100 Thieves'

Incorporating these shapes and accentuating them with a yellow hue (in alignment with the University of Waterloo's colour scheme of black, white, and yellow) alongside using the font ‘Akira’, enhances the visual impact of the graphics against the monochromatic backdrop of in-game characters.

This theme remained consistent in subsequent marketing materials for Warriors Esports, with minor stylistic adjustments, yet consistently highlighting Waterloo's school colours, fonts, and monochromatic imagery. Consequently, this enhanced recognition of our organization among followers facilitated easy identification at events, social media posts, and other platforms.

esults

tatistics

Through the rebranding efforts of Warriors Esports, we've witnessed a remarkable surge in user engagement on our social media platforms. This transformation has led to a significant increase in account reach, exemplified by a peak of 837 accounts reached with our new graphics, compared to 475 accounts with the previous graphics. Additionally, our posts are garnering an average of 23% more views, showcasing the effectiveness of our rebranding strategy in captivating our audience.

Previous Player Tryout Graphics

Revamped Player Tryout Graphics

eflection

Finding the balance between creative exploration and brand consistency is essential.

As we looked into creating unique designs for Warriors Esports on social media, upholding brand consistency was non-negotiable. In essence, I was determined to preserve brand integrity while fostering creative expression.
This led to learning more about the Esports market and what current trends could be combined with my ideas, leveraging both experimentation and established successes.

Community is everything.

Extremely plain and simple. Yet, still, I wasn't familiar with this concept until I joined Warriors Esports.
You may wonder what this takeaway has to do with design or creating marketing materials, and to be frank, it has no direct correlation. I realized during my time with such an open and loving community that the people you surround yourself with help propel you forward in life as a whole.
So ultimately, if it weren't for me landing this role as their Graphic Designer and them existing as amazing human beings, my outlook on life would have been vastly different than what it is now.