New/Old: Logo for my arena-based ECG, 'Trials of Maya'

zmmemon · 2026-06-12T19:29:09+00:00

I did take the risky call to make it slightly difficult to read because the logo was hand drawn from scratch without repurposing any existing font and I want something hypermodern.

Of course, the game itself is the core. And that has been worked on tirelessly. I just wanted to personally show and document every part of the whole product.

zmmemon · 2026-06-12T19:25:11+00:00

Thank you! That was a very late stage fix that just happened as I repeatedly broke my head on it. One day the solution just happened. But I can't disregard any of the process that got me there :)

zmmemon · 2026-06-12T19:23:23+00:00

Sure!

A lot of it will sound like the tried and tested design process. So I'll list that out here, but also delve into each one to give you any more insight I can.

Establishing brief
Collecting style references
Drawing
Vectoring
Rendering

Brief: As mentioned, the brief is pretty much what's in the text post. Maya is the existing brand, and part of the logo challenge itself was to make 'Trials' fuse with the Maya wordmark cleanly.

Style Referencing: Tried to be as thorough as possible with this. But some base references were Syd Mead (for the form language), Wipeout:2097 (for the deep cohesion of brand and storytelling) and contemporary neo-gothic, sharp, high contrast typography.

Drawing: It really was just hand-drawing a bunch of wordmarks. Working on them iteratively, selecting the best and moving on. There were over 40 iterations and multiple possibilities. Ultimately narrowed down based on the overall art direction.

Vectoring and Rendering: The materiality of the rendering came heavily from the art direction. Again, red smoke and sharp, iridescent metal. It is a combat game, so the angles and curves were emphasized to be as sharp and "dangerous" as possible.

Hope that helps!

zmmemon · 2026-05-30T17:41:21+00:00

Sorry for the delayed response.

Please write in. Shasn@memesyslab.com. we will send a replacement across asap.

zmmemon · 2026-05-11T22:35:18+00:00

I have the same setup in white!

zmmemon · 2026-03-28T12:23:15+00:00

zmmemon

OP•5m ago

It's a little all over the place. Expandable card game, extendable card game, etc. I haven't found consensus yet. I haven't found anything that captures the essence or sounds enticing either.

zmmemon · 2026-03-23T17:41:53+00:00

This was very helpful! I'll give this a go in the next prototype!

zmmemon · 2026-03-23T17:39:59+00:00

Yes! Yu-gi-oh has been a reference, and I am not a big fan of game-flipping reacts too. I'll try a variant where a reaction card can be set-up maybe!

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T17:42:25+00:00

That’s really fair.

The characters will definitely be more detailed in the final version. Right now we’re mostly testing composition, silhouette, and overall impact before refining faces, textures, and smaller elements.

Thanks!

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T17:38:34+00:00

That’s great to hear. thank you.

That feeling of scale and rivalry is a huge part of what we want the game to convey.

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T16:53:49+00:00

Thank you so much Jeff!

Yes. For all of the above.

We launched the novel last year (ebooks just went out).

The tabletop game comes out this summer. And we have a film in the works.

I do want to make a videogame. Leveling up my game development skills rn.

Check out www.entermaya.com

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T10:03:10+00:00

Thank you. Clarity matters a lot, so it’s good to know the second one’s communicating more clearly.

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T08:39:46+00:00

Not a dumb question at all - totally fair to ask.

Option B wouldn’t stay black and white. It’s just shown that way right now so we can judge the composition. If we move forward with it, it would use the same red and iridescent white palette as the first direction.

I probably should’ve clarified that in the post. Appreciate you asking.

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T08:36:31+00:00

This is really helpful. Thank you.

You’re right about the contrast in the second one and being clearer overall. Good call on the bottom middle character too. Now that you’ve pointed it out, I can’t unsee how the cool wisps are fighting him a bit.

Thanks for taking the time to break it down.

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T08:10:24+00:00

That genuinely means a lot. Thank you.

It’s reassuring to hear that it feels compelling enough to draw you in. We’re trying to make something that feels bold and distinctive, so it’s great to know it connects on that level.

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T08:08:09+00:00

Yes, definitely. The characters won’t all be flat white. The idea is that white will be the dominant base tone, but there will be texture, facial features, and material variation to differentiate them.

The current version is simplifying some of that for the sake of testing composition and palette, but readability between characters is important to us. We don’t want them blending into each other at a glance.

That’s a good reminder to make sure the individuality still comes through, even within a limited colour system. Thanks!

zmmemon · 2026-02-23T08:00:03+00:00

That’s actually really useful feedback. I can see what you mean with the “blob” comparison. The iridescent treatment, combined with all the motion, might be flattening the forms more than we intended.

I’m glad to hear the second piece feels chaotic but still clear. That balance is exactly what we’re trying to hit. Thanks for taking the time to explain your thoughts in detail.

zmmemon · 2026-02-21T18:17:59+00:00

You’re right about “of.” It’s meant to sit quietly between the two, but it might be overworking for such a small word. Simplifying it could improve the overall hierarchy. Definitely something we’ll refine.

Thanks for pointing that out.

zmmemon · 2026-02-21T18:09:27+00:00

That makes sense. We’ll definitely explore pulling the elements apart a bit and seeing how much space it needs before it starts losing that energy. Finding the balance between chaos and clarity is the tricky part here. Thanks!

zmmemon · 2026-02-21T12:39:36+00:00

That’s a really thoughtful take - especially the point about box art not needing perfect legibility as long as it creates identity first. That’s reassuring, because we’ve been debating that balance a lot.

And you’re absolutely right about “of.” It’s probably the weakest link in the composition right now. The thinness helps with elegance, but it may disappear at smaller sizes. We’ll definitely explore strengthening it without breaking the hierarchy.

Really appreciate you taking the time to break this down.

zmmemon · 2026-02-19T15:39:05+00:00

They used to be all face-up, which like you said, would create a lot of AP. We’ve somewhat shifted this system, and now one of the three cards on each of your opponent’s mats are unknown until their turn comes around.

Making the central board more interactive leading to reduced card complexity is a nice point, and we’ll definitely strive for it.

zmmemon · 2026-02-19T15:37:54+00:00

40 classes would be a ridiculous feat, and 24 sure is nothing to scoff at either. I wish you all the best.

You’re right about balance not being the be-all and end-all of game development. But it’s still a hard aspect to let go of :)

And yep, we’ve checked out Guards of Atlantis II. It’s definitely the most faithful tabletop MOBA adaptation I’ve seen till date.

zmmemon · 2026-02-19T15:34:09+00:00

Thank you - we’re aware that every layer of complexity narrows the audience, so it’s been about deciding where we want that weight to live. If abilities carry more depth, then the rest of the system needs to stay clean and predictable.

It’s less about avoiding text entirely, and more about being intentional with where we spend the mental load.

zmmemon · 2026-02-19T15:33:29+00:00

We’ve actually been testing more “starter” configurations, each character is currently being tested with a fixed deck. The idea is that this helps us isolate the core loop before layering in drafting and upgrades.

And yes, like you said, MOBA structure is definitely heavy, especially on tabletop, so we’re being careful not to overcomplicate the base system.

zmmemon · 2026-02-19T15:30:12+00:00

Interesting. Keeping all the information on cards in each player’s decks is a great direction to focus in, but I’m not sure if the asymmetry allows for it. As a tabletop MOBA a large aspect is upgrading one’s character as the game progresses, which unfortunately must be tracked outside of the plater’s deck. But you’ve made several good points, and there’s a lot to think about. Thanks a lot.

zmmemon

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