The Half-Life logo is a practical element that directly conveys the name of the video game. It is as dry, strict, and business-like as possible, as its presence alone is a full hand of content for gamers. But behind the simple design, there are complex things, as the emblem is associated with the dangerous process of reactive decay.
Half-Life: Brand overview
Founded: | November 19, 1998 |
Founder: | Valve |
Headquarters: |
United States |
Website: | half-life.com |
Meaning and History
To demonstrate the danger of an alien invasion that the main character must survive, the designers chose the eleventh sign from the Greek alphabet, which is the progenitor of “L” and “L” in almost all languages of the world. The fact is that this letter has also become a symbol of the reactive decay of atoms and is used in the half-life equation. It is no coincidence that this is the name of a series of video games where the main character is a theoretical physicist from the Black Mesa research center.
The Half-Life logo consists of a single character – lambda. In this case, it is in lowercase because it has tails at the top and bottom. In the original spelling, the letter looks like this: λ. In uppercase, the symbol is more geometric and looks like a tent. It is written accordingly: Λ. Therefore, in the emblem of the cult video game, recognized as one of the best on the planet, a lowercase glyph is used.
However, lambda also denotes the length of light radiation or sound wave. It is also used to indicate a function in some parts of mathematics and in some programming languages. That is, this symbol has many meanings, each of which fits well into the concept of a shooter, demonstrating its versatility.
What is Half-Life?
Half-Life is a video game based on shootouts and puzzles where the main character named, Gordon Freeman (a theoretical physicist from the Black Mesa science center) must confront an alien invasion. By genre, it is an FPS – a first-person shooter, one of the most legendary in the world, more than 50 times awarded the Game of the Year title. It consists of several releases and releases to them, turning into an independent universe. The first product from the series appeared in 1998, and the last one – in 2020. Valve developed and published the game.
1998 – today
Despite being a series of video games with several releases and add-ons, they share a common logo. It is a large, lowercase graphic symbol. In this case, it corresponds exactly to the video game title, which denotes the period of radioactive half-life. This symbol serves to express the rate of atomic nuclei decay; that is, it is a constant in the corresponding equation. In the shooter’s identity, the ancient Greek glyph gained its expressiveness:
- sharp lines;
- even edges;
- precise angles.
This geometricity is associated with the type of video game: the need to make quick decisions, to react smoothly to what is happening, and to orient oneself in actions to avoid danger immediately. The lambda is located in the center of a broad circle.
Font and Colors
The letter of the ancient Greek alphabet is performed by the typeface of individual development. It is bold, lowercase, smooth, and looks like a graphic element. Such a sign cannot be attributed to a single font type because it is custom.
The standard color of the Half-Life logo is orange. This is how it is drawn on digital products and game paraphernalia, and the shooter itself. However, in a neutral format, it is colored black.
Half-Life color codes
Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |