The Opportunity
Create a memorable, lasting, and emotional brand that, like a BATTLE CRY, unites and inspires a community of Star Wars gamers.
The Solution
Craft a dynamic branding identity and develop launch materials to capture attention and drive engagement.
Role
Lead brand designer on the Brand Marketing team at Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.
Discovery
Brand Positioning
CELEBRATE RIVALRY
In all its forms, this brand boldly showcases the human truths that rivalries are unrelenting, make us stronger, and are integral to our heroic journeys.
Product Difference
Playable sessions require skill to win
Fast-paced, cover-based action
Switch between characters in battle
Supporting Features
Character collection
Star Wars story
Spans the universe
Social interaction
Target Audience
For male mobile gamers ages 14-45, Star Wars: Rivals is the first real-time multiplayer action-shooter where skill in cover-based skirmishes will be critical to achieving victory over worthy rivals. PvP showdowns allow players to switch characters from any Star Wars era during battle to devastate the opponent.
Product Overview
Step into the ultimate Star Wars showdown with the first real-time competitive action shooter designed for mobile. Assemble your dream team of iconic Star Wars characters from across all eras and engage in fast-paced, cover-based PvP skirmishes and mission-based campaigns. Master each character’s unique abilities, leverage your surroundings for tactical advantage, and climb the leaderboards to prove your dominance. Whether battling in familiar locales like Jakku and Bespin or taking down rivals in adrenaline-packed boss fights, every moment delivers the thrill of the galaxy far, far away—right at your fingertips. Available on iOS and Android.
our process
tone
art direction
campaign big idea
This concept manifests in adrenaline and action with two sides in the heat of gritty battle—worthy rivals who relentlessly blast each other with all they’ve got. We’ll depict energetic visuals of rivals in action at the thrilling crossroad of victory and defeat.
Substantiation
Action-shooter
“Killer” gamer-type considerations
Ground-fights with relentless fire
“Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”
brand identity
Brand Considerations
A Rich History
Star Wars Rivals is a new product that will live within a robust, established brand. Our strategy will be to reference elements from the past to help extend the Star Wars brand equity.
tagline
Taglines communicate part of the story saga, are call-to-action lines, or speak to a brand essence. We believed this game deserved a tagline that could serve as an emotional battle cry to rally our community.
Research
Other Stars games and consideration between hardcore / midcore sensibilities.
Key Observations
Frequent use of the words “force, battle, galaxy, master, destiny, adventures.”
Consider using words that differentiate, and highlight the unique proposition this game offers, or use familiar ones + new ones to differentiate
Goals
Showcase the unique game proposition
Fit within the Star Wars brand (and extend the brand equity)
Use language that fosters a sense of competition and the essence of “celebrating rivalry”
(chosen tagline)
The tagline was refined to “Aim for Victory” for a more concise and impactful message.
logo research
Typography
KEY LEARNINGS
A history of sans serif and serif fonts
A history of customizing typefaces
Bold sans serif are used to appear menacing and modern
Chiseled serif fonts are used to appear grandiose
Bring-back of fonts used in original movies for new films today
Star Wars FILM & TV logos
KEY ATTRIBUTES
All-caps
Sans serif typeface + tight kerning + extra bold weight
Serif typeface + wide kerning
Trajan font
Text box containers
Rule lines between text
Small “Star Wars” logo on one line
Star Wars Console / PC logos
KEY ATTRIBUTES
All-caps
Sans serif typeface + extra bold weight
Serif typeface + tight kerning
Rule lines between text
Small “Star Wars” logo on one line
Rendered textures
Star Wars Mobile Logos
KEY ATTRIBUTES
All-caps
Sans serif typeface + extra bold weight
Rule lines between text
Text box containers
Small “Star Wars” logo on one line
Rendered textures
Deconstructed typefaces
Other First Person Shooter games (FPS)
KEY ATTRIBUTES
All-caps
Deconstructed typefaces
Simplified counters, especially the “A”
Gritty textures
Sans serif and condensed typeface + tight kerning + extra bold weight
Symbols or supporting graphics
Where we fit in the Star Wars brand universe
Logo concepts
Logo Concept 1 (chosen direction)
Simply Opposed
Logo Concept 2
Opposites Abstract
Logo Concept 3
Directional Forces
Logo Concept 4
Axis of Destruction
Typeface Exploration
Typeface Rationales
Chosen Typeface
Headstone Roman
A Roman typeface based on an example provided of a guide for stone cutters to use when cutting epitaphs on tombstones.
Brand Tile
Logo Animation
trailer End card concept
Trailer end card
In-game animatic transitions
Key art
App store screenshots
User Acquisition Testing
We created and tested a variety of ad layouts to determine which generated the most clicks. By analyzing the results, we identified the most effective approaches and refined our strategy, focusing on creating similar high-performing ads to optimize engagement and acquisition.
Trailer
Results
The Star Wars Rivals branding project aimed to capture the spirit of a “battle cry,” uniting and inspiring a community of dedicated Star Wars gamers. The game launched to geo-beta with a diverse lineup of characters and abilities, staying true to the rich Star Wars canon and ensuring fans felt a genuine connection to the universe.
The branding not only struck a chord with players but also earned high praise from the hard-to-impress Lucasfilm team, who loved the work. By blending bold visuals with the emotional pull of the Star Wars saga, the branding successfully laid the groundwork for a strong and passionate player community, delivering an identity that resonated both in-game and beyond.
Content shown © Disney.