Arena Brand
Design
Project Description:
In the rapidly expanding esports industry, I led the visual identity and design system creation for Arena, an innovative streaming service dedicated to supporting esports teams. Recognizing the industry’s multi-billion dollar global market and the challenges faced by teams due to the limitations of platforms like YouTube and Twitch, Arena introduces a unique revenue model and a strong emphasis on data and analytics.
My approach involved a strategic blend of icons, typography, color, and illustration. I developed a comprehensive asset library for systematic and reusable design, aligning with Arena’s objective of providing actionable data efficiently. The design system, internally codenamed Kitten Arena, featured a subtle kitten icon as an easter egg, adding a layer of engagement to the brand identity.
Beyond the visual branding, I designed and developed Arena’s website and analytics dashboards, focusing on the clear presentation of valuable data. This task required close collaboration with product and website teams, defining the visual design strategy, and ensuring that it communicated Arena’s value effectively. Additionally, I created assets for investor presentations, aiding in the company’s funding efforts.
User Analytics Dashboard
Brand Identity at a Glance
Select Slides from the Investor Deck Keynote
Process
From Cast to Arena
Originally dubbed ‘Cast’, the project faced an unexpected challenge early in the design phase. We discovered that the desired domain, Cast.gg (with ‘.gg’ being the esports equivalent of ‘.com’), was already owned by an individual in Russia. Due to the prevailing sanctions against Russia, acquiring this domain became an insurmountable task. This led to a strategic pivot in naming. We settled on ‘Arena’, a name inspired by the project’s internal codename, ‘Kitten Arena’. This shift not only addressed the domain issue but also gave the project a dynamic and fitting new identity.
Initial Design Concepts