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For Operation: Eradicate, Skejo Studios didn’t want to take any chances, and rightly so! Had OE been a side-scroller, or any of another genre of games, the UI would have been fairly easy to develop. Because of the complex mechanics of the game, incorporating unique resources, multiple actions, and turn-based gameplay with the need for various data displays, Greg (owner of Skejo) and I had quite a few conversations about the directions the game could go. In the end, the biggest discussion was what data should we show the user, and what data should we leave running in the background.

Here is what we developed.

The top bar displays the overall game statistics and meta controls.

The map proved to be a challenge due to the amount of information that needed to be compressed into the city spaces.

The bottom bar gives the user the information and controls needed for immediate action and planning.

It can be tricky to do wordmarks for production companies. A quality wordmark will be versatile, distinct, and stay the hell out of the way. I knew from my conversations with Greg that Skejo would be developing games, and games have their own branding and aesthetics. The wordmark is best kept simple, letting the letterforms communicate.

First, precision gridwork helps to refine the letterforms.

Now the first iteration is finished, and the refining begins.

Greg thought the ‘j’ was too abstract, so I dialed it back to a more familiar shape.

Finally, I added some color and a Web 2.0 sheen to the wordmark as it would appear on the website. Visit www.skejo.com to see the wordmark in its natural environment.

They approached me about doing the work, with a critical focus on the Icon.

Their original icon didn’t have the visual appeal needed to compete in the App-Store.

We went through the range of possibilities for the Icon, and really looked at the connotations of each one. In the end, we decided on the full cartoon graphic, with a bright green background to differentiate them from the competition.

Finally, we needed to brand the load-screens and other in-app graphics.

As you can see, it’s been a massive improvement. Check out the free DogGoes Dog Park App for yourself, and let me know what you think!