Game Changer: Enthusiast Gaming's epic brand transformation for North America's biggest gaming event

SECTOR

Gaming

Sports

Services

Branding

SEGMENT

B2C

Market

Canada

Mission

Enthusiast Gaming, the largest gaming platform in the US, engaged our agency with a significant task: the creation of a comprehensive brand architecture to unify its brand and sub-brands before its transition to becoming a publicly-traded company.

Outcome

We developed a cohesive brand architecture with identities for all sub-brands covering live streaming, events, social network and media, which resonate across all customer touch-points, both physical and digital.

Impact

The launch of their new brand identity was a huge success. The company became the fastest-growing gaming information property with 324% year-on-year growth in total views.ask: the creation of a comprehensive brand architecture to unify its brand and sub-brands before its transition to becoming a publicly-traded company. The objective was to develop a cohesive brand identity which would resonate across all customer touch-points, both physical and digital.

Highlights

Enthusiast Gaming was founded in 2014 and is listed on the Nasdaq.
#1 gaming property in the US, ahead of Twitch, Roblox, Take 2, Activision Blizzard, IGN and EA.
Reaches around 300 million gamers monthly across its network.
EGLX (Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo) had 30,000 attendees.

Objectives

Transforming for the global gaming stage

Develop a cohesive brand architecture for Enthusiast Gaming.
Unify various sub-brands under a single parent brand.
Create unique identities for each sub-brand that align with the parent brand.
Craft brand guidelines to ensure consistency across all brands.

This was a fascinating and challenging journey. The key was in balancing autonomy and cohesion. We recognized the value each sub-brand brought to the table and wanted to maintain their distinctive features and identity. However, it was equally important to align them with the parent brand to create a seamless experience for the audience.

Jovan Babovic

Design Director

We were entrusted with the task of creating a brand architecture for Enthusiast Gaming and their sub-brands. Understanding their position as the largest gaming platform in the US, we developed a refreshed brand architecture which created a cohesive brand identity for its interests in streaming, live events, social network and media.

Before going public and issuing stocks, they wanted to introduce a new brand identity to create a more cohesive experience and atmosphere for both the physical event and its digital extensions.

Progressing through a process of several rounds of development, we developed an entire identity system to make sure every customer touch-point reflected the brand.

Design Requirements

The primary objective was to introduce a new brand identity that unified all sub-brands under the parent company, Enthusiast Gaming. This included the company's interests in live streaming, live events, social networking, and its media division.

The goal was to create a brand architecture which encompasses all aspects of the company and ensures brand cohesion across different segments, and the development of tailored logos for various segments of the company. This was to be achieved while allowing for individual expression and unique attributes of each sub-brand, within the context of the overall brand architecture.

The process was planned and executed through several steps:

Brand Audit

We began with an exhaustive brand audit, assessing the existing brands and sub-brands, market perception, and the representation of the brand across customer touchpoints. We collected and analyzed feedback from both customers and employees, gaining insights into the existing brand perception and representation.

Defining the Parent Brand

Based on the insights gathered during the audit, we defined the core identity of the parent brand. This involved defining the brand's vision, mission, values, and personality. With a clear understanding of what Enthusiast Gaming stood for. We developed a unique positioning statement to convey its unique offering and relevance to the target audience.

Identifying sub-brands

We identified the sub-brands which fall under the umbrella of Enthusiast Gaming, include the live streaming, live events, social network, and media divisions.

We analyzed each sub-brand's unique features, benefits, and target audience, enabling us to define the relationship between each sub-brand and the parent brand effectively.

Enthusiast Gaming

We identified the sub-brands which fall under the umbrella of Enthusiast Gaming, include the live streaming, live events, social network, and media divisions. We analyzed each sub-brand's unique features, benefits, and target audience, enabling us to define the relationship between each sub-brand and the parent brand effectively.

EGLX

Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo (EGLX) is the biggest gaming event in North America, and one of the largest in the world. Their previous logo was often misread as ELGX instead of EGLX.

The design illustrates gamers uniting and contains a subtle reference to a controller arrow key to reflect the association of the logo with gaming.

This included tailored logos based on the location of the expo, for example Las Vegas and Vancouver.

Enthusiast.gg

EG Live

EG Media

Establishing Brand Hierarchy

In the branded house architecture we were pursuing, the parent brand, Enthusiast Gaming, took center stage. However, we worked to balance this with a degree of independence for each sub-brand. We decided that each sub-brand should leverage the reputation and recognition of the parent brand while expressing its individuality to its target audience.

Visual Style Guide

The final step in our process was to create comprehensive visual style guidelines. These guidelines the full range of aspects covering visual identity - including logo usage (size preview, construction, application, orientations, and spacing), color palette, typography, brand pattern and logo mask.

We ensured these guidelines allowed for flexibility, enabling each sub-brand to express its unique personality while still aligning with the parent brand.

Results

The result was a unified and dynamic brand architecture which reflects Enthusiast Gaming's diverse interests in the gaming industry, yet communicates a consistent brand message. This rebranding significantly improved the perception and visibility of Enthusiast Gaming and its sub-brands in a crowded market, positioning them as a forward-thinking, all-encompassing gaming platform.

The launch of their new brand identity was a huge success. The company became the fastest-growing gaming information property with 324% year-on-year growth in total views.

In the world of gaming, each sub-brand caters to a slightly different audience, a different interest. By giving each sub-brand its own distinct identity within the brand architecture, we were able to appeal to these diverse audience segments without diluting the overall brand message. The result was a multi-faceted brand that radiates unity while celebrating diversity – a perfect reflection of the vibrant gaming community that Enthusiast Gaming serves.