The world of gaming promises thrilling adventures filled with highs, the occasional lows, and, most notably, steep competition in the e-gaming industry. In a landscape as treacherous as this one, success is never guaranteed. However, we can bring ourselves a step closer to stardom by securing several key components throughout our ventures, like our branding – which includes the gaming logo you choose to use.
The first and perhaps most important component is the brand identity. Everyone knows (or should know) that new and veteran gamers alike need to stand out if they ever want to draw the attention of the crowd. Aside from exceptional skill and a winning personality, gamers need a strong brand to accomplish such a feat.
You probably already know this. You’re also likely aware that the logo should always be at the forefront among all the components that make up a brand. After all, it’s the face we present to the world. One that helps the audience differentiate us from other gamers.
With that said, our first logos don’t have to be the logos that we forever keep. If they’re no longer serving their purposes, it’s best to shake things up. Either modernize the current design or, even better, opt for something new.
Now, the question is: How can a logo template make your life easier?
The Case for Logo Templates
For many, it’s almost the first instinct to shy away from templates when it comes to brand purposes. This likely stems from the notion that they’re ordinary — anyone can access them, making them less unique as more and more people choose a specific design on the internet.
Understandable, really. However, we should point out that this worry is easily negated by the benefits that templates bring. Consider the following reasons as to why shopping for the best gaming logo templates is one of the best maneuvers we can make in our gaming careers.
Templates are accessible
As previously mentioned, anyone with an internet connection can access templates, which introduces us to a con often mentioned when debating its use: Accessibility.
See, being able to access templates with no hassle isn’t so much a con when it’s also a primary reason why templates are useful for branding. For one, the cheap price tag makes it so that even those who are just starting their gaming careers can get an expertly designed logo. The same goes for established gamers who don’t want to splurge too much on design.
Templates are well-made
The thing about using templates is that it’s like hiring a skilled designer but for less money. We say that because sites that provide the best gaming logo templates, like TemplateMonkey, have on-hand a team with years of design experience under their belts.
These designers keep up with the trend, apply concepts like color theory to their projects, and even go the extra mile to ensure that each and every logo they put out features balanced designs — from colors to fonts to graphics.
All we need to do is find the right site and peruse its catalog to see countless designs that suit every taste and brand.
Templates are easy to use
Not everybody has a background in design, nor do we all have the time to build up the skills needed to create proper logos for our channels, streams, or teams.
So, all the more reason to use gaming logo templates, really, since the designs are already crafted and available in different formats. We just need to personalize our chosen logo to fit our brands, and we’re all done.
By using logo templates, we get to save both time and money. Now, let’s move towards the exciting bit: How do we choose from the best gaming logo templates?
Let’s Go On A Quest! The Hunt for A Gaming Logo Design
While it may appear effortless on the outside, it actually takes a few steps to land on a gaming logo template that will best suit our needs. There isn’t any reason to fret, though, because we can treat the process like fun side quests to achieve an even bigger goal, much like leveling up in video games.
Here Is Your Character’s History
First and foremost, we need to recognize the current state of our brands. We can do so by finding the answers to the following questions.
- What games do we play? Certain aesthetics from video games can be incorporated into logos. Take, for example, the blocky feature of the hit sandbox game Minecraft.
- What type of content do we put out? This mostly applies to streamers and content creators who use various channels to share their content with the public. Study the competition, look at their logo and the aesthetics they use, and try to discern which ones are more memorable than others.
- Who is our demographic? While the logo is about us, we also need to appeal to the people that support us. This is why some gamers choose to modernize their logos over time — to take into account their growth alongside their fans’.
- What is our team mascot? E-sports, much like other team sports, feature mascots that represent the teams in tournaments. Does your team already have a mascot? Then it’s best to keep the character in mind when perusing designs.
The answers to these questions can help us hone in on certain design elements that lead us to the best gaming logo templates that work best for our careers.
Do You Wish To Reallocate Your Skill Points?
Designing a logo template to fit our brands also requires us to know which qualities make excellent gaming logo templates. Check out the following:
- Simple. Complex designs tend to turn the audience away rather than draw them in. As much as possible, we should opt for minimal design elements in our logo templates, such as few colors, a clean typeface, and perhaps an eye-catching graphic.
- Memorable. Our logos are our faces, and it won’t do well for us to have forgettable faces in an ever-growing gaming industry. When we create harmony between visual and textual aspects, we can arrive at a design that sticks, connects with the audience, and sticks to their minds.
- Adaptive. Lastly, we should be able to use our logos with no trouble nor help from professional designers. The best gaming logo templates make it so that design and size changes won’t affect the quality of the design.
Please Choose A Class Before Starting The Game
We’re nearing the end of our quest. Before that, we need to decide upon a so-called “form” that we want our logos to take. Knowing the different classes can better inform us when we’re finally shopping for templates. Here are three regularly used in the gaming industry:
Mascots
Graphically-driven logos are commonly used in the gaming industry. Among all the choices, the Mascot-type logo is by far the most popular. It’s known to feature a friendly face, be it a sim of the gamer, an animal, or an anthropomorphic character.
There are several reasons for the Mascot-type logo’s popularity, one of which is the engagement and interaction it inspires between the brand and the audience. Mascots give people a visual aspect to latch onto, drawing them to note the typeface that often accompanies the design.
A few notable names in the industry that have opted for a Mascot-type logo are Ninja, who’s most known for his work in the Fortnite community; Seoul Dynasty, an e-sports team, representing Korea in Overwatch tournaments; and Dream, an up and coming Minecraft YouTuber.
Something to Consider: Mascot-logos are heavily dependent on the graphic they come with, making re-designing a logo template to make it unique a bit complicated.
Logotype
Looking for something cleaner and straight to the point? The Logotype (or “Wordmark”) will do the trick, especially for gamers who are still in the early parts of their journey.
This class features pure words that represent the gamer’s or team’s name. The typeface used in a Logotype design is often clean and blocky, resulting in a bold and highly visible logo. However, gamers are also encouraged to go outside the box and use decorative or graphic fonts.
To boost a Logotype design, one can even opt for varying colors that either complete or contrast each other.
MiBR, a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, uses Logotype for their brand. Blizzard, the gaming company behind hit titles like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo, uses a chilly font to depict the company name.
Something to Consider: Given its simplicity, Logotypes require constant updating to offer the audience a refreshing look.
Abstract Logo Marks
Another graphically-driven logo type is the Abstract Logo Mark. Unlike the Mascot, Abstract Logos don’t feature faces, nor do they use recognizable real-life objects. Instead, it moves away from a literal depiction of one’s brand and focuses on a thought that represents it.
For example, Ubisoft, the company behind Assassin’s Creed, Watchdog, and Rainbow Six franchise, describes their abstract logo as “a window into our worlds, giving a preview of what’s to come by highlighting the artistry that goes into creating them. The swirl and the letter O are both deliberately created to be reminiscent of hand-drawn shapes and represent our human qualities of enthusiasm, curiosity, and the grain de folie that Ubisoft is known for.”
Something to Consider: The symbolic nature of the Abstract Logo Mark makes it difficult for newbie gamers and e-sports teams to benefit from the design.
Here! Take These Item Boosters
Say, we’ve already chosen designs from the best gaming logo templates that the internet has to offer. All that is left to do is to customize our chosen templates.
Now, designing a logo template may not be as difficult as creating one from scratch, but there are still a few notes that we should keep in mind while editing our templates.
- The Color Palette
Colors are so powerful in the design world to the point that they can draw or repel the audience depending on how they’re used.
With that said, keeping in mind our brand and styles can help us decide upon our logos’ palette. Should there be improvements needed, we can always depend on the classic notion that contrasting colors help improve designs.
Not only do they enhance the features of our logos, but they also boost the visibility of the design.
- The Typeface
We have already discussed the various types of logo, but we neglected to mention an unwritten rule: mixing and matching is welcomed.
Meaning, we don’t have to stick to one logo type for the rest of our careers. Nor do we have to settle on only one right now. For example, a Mascot-type logo is made even better when it’s accompanied either by our channels or team’s name.
Here is where the font comes in. We simply can’t slap a font alongside the character to get the job done. The brand should always be considered, plus the questions previously mentioned in Here Is Your Character’s History.
Those who need a solid example can look to Blizzard once again. The company chose a font style that is reminiscent of the shivers experienced in extreme colds. It adds another layer of texture to the logo and completes the design when paired with the blue palette.
Protect the Treasure, Maintain the Balance
At the end of the day, re-designing a logo template presents us with lots of liberty. No one can dictate what we should or shouldn’t do, but it would do us well to remember that symphony is more appealing than chaos.
Simply put, going overboard with the design elements — from the colors to the graphics — can result in a messy logo that tarnishes our brand. On the other hand, too little used may lead to a boring, forgettable design.
You can do the job with trial and error. But it’s not at all efficient or smart. Instead of diving into things, we should first equip ourselves with the proper knowledge, like the ones imparted above, to ease the process of editing our chosen logo templates.