Photography Advertisement
Programs: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Project: Dragon’s Hoard Dice Vault
Purpose: Branding & Photography Advertisement
Year: 2023
Goals and Objective
For the project, I was tasked with creating an advertisement through photography. I saw this as a chance to develop the branding I had in mind for my personal business. I took charge of designing the photography, layout, and branding, which ultimately culminated in the final ad.
Research + Planning
Product Questions
What is a TTRPG?
Table-top Roleplaying Games (TTRPG) allow people to escape reality and unleash their creativity by crafting worlds, characters, and stories with their friends. For instance, games like Dungeons and Dragons require a set of seven dice to determine the outcomes of actions taken in the game.
What is a Dice Vault?
While some players prefer having just one set of dice, others prefer multiple sets. Regardless of the number of dice, a safe and organized storage solution is essential. The solution: Dragon’s Hoard Dice Vault.
Target Demographic Personas
Alex Thompson
Age: 32
Occupation: Game Developer
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
Income: $70,000 per year
Marital Status: Single
Alex Thompson is a game developer who loves RPGs. They collect unique dice sets and are always looking for stylish storage solutions. Alex participates in gaming conventions and local RPG groups. They enjoy painting miniatures and exploring new game systems. Alex wants a dice vault that protects and showcases their dice collection while complementing their artistic sensibilities.
Emily Davis
Age: 28
Occupation: Marketing Coordinator
Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing
Income: $45,000 per year
Marital Status: Engaged
Emily Davis is a social marketing coordinator who enjoys board games and RPGs with friends. She's detail-oriented and looking for a stylish dice vault to add to her gaming setup. Excited for her upcoming engagement, she plans to build a collection of beautiful dice to use with her future spouse.
Logo Design Process
Sketches
When developing a name for the Dice Vault, I examined common symbols utilized in other DnD and dice industry branding. Initially, "Dice Vault" appeared too basic. However, I began to consider how dragons safeguard their treasure, comparable to how the container protects the dice inside. This inspired me to name it "Dragons Hoard Dice Vault." To further emphasize this concept, I incorporated icosahedron and dragon icons.
Brand Elements
Typeface
The Cheap Pine typeface is a condensed, roughly drawn font with a handmade appearance that pays homage to eighteenth and nineteenth-century wood types. Its rustic charm, distinct glyphs, and compatibility with various fonts make it perfect for branding a dice vault company. This font elicits a sense of nostalgia, authenticity, and craftsmanship that resonates with tabletop gamers.
Cheap Pine
Sans
Color Swatches
For the branding, I chose an analogous color palette of bright red and yellow gold. The yellow color symbolizes the gold found in a dragon's hoard, while the red represents the most prolific type of dragon in DnD - the Red Dragon.
RGB 237, 32, 36
CMYK 0, 99, 100, 0
HEX #ED2024
RGB 236, 185, 35
CMYK 7, 27, 98, 0
HEX #ECB923
RGB 0, 0, 0
CMYK 74, 68, 67, 90
HEX #000000
Logo Design
The logo features a 20-sided dice shape known as an icosahedron, commonly found in games like DnD. The dragon in the logo is designed as an ouroboros, a serpent that eats its own tail and wraps around a jewel. This symbolizes how the product protects the dice. The perimeter of the icosahedron creates a hexagon, which is the same shape as the dice vault. The ouroboros is a symbol of completeness, protection, and transformation. It represents self-sufficiency and harmony against external threats. Certain esoteric traditions associate this symbol with hidden knowledge and spiritual growth, further emphasizing its protective connotations. The logo reinforces the importance of the iconography by making the icosahedron golden yellow and the dragon red.
Logo Variations and Lockups
Creating various logo versions, such as black and negative versions and lockups, is essential for maintaining brand consistency and adaptability across different applications and backgrounds. This allows for versatility in print, digital, and space-limited situations. These variations also help to strengthen brand recognition, effectively engage audiences, and preserve the logo's integrity in diverse marketing scenarios.
Initial Photo shoot
I aimed to create a mystical and wondrous atmosphere during the first photo shoot by using long-exposure techniques on the water with lights inside the Dice Vault. I wanted it to appear as though magic was emanating from within. Unfortunately, my planning was insufficient, and the lights were bulky and not bright enough to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, they did not fit inside the case. However, the long exposure time on the water created a magical and wondrous environment.
Final Photo Shoot
For the second photoshoot, I improved my planning and used stronger lighting resulting in more dynamic photos. I utilized a unique floating light effect by moving the lights during a long exposure, giving the environment a mystical appearance. The product was surrounded by what appeared to be dancing fireflies as I cleverly concealed the lights, and the dice seemed to glow.
Environmental Contact
The promotional materials encapsulate the essence of fantasy games with imaginative photography and the intriguing slogan “Protect Your Hoard.” The slogan immediately captures the viewer’s attention, piques their interest, and provides a call to action.
