In 2021, an animated series based on the popular computer game Arcane was released on television as Arcane: League of Legends to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the League of Legends universe. It was produced by the game’s creator, Riot Games, and the French animation studio Fortiche from Paris. This season is a prequel to the game itself, telling the story of how Piltover and Zaun came to be. Critics highly praised the world-building, voice acting, and animation. At the same time, the first week of the premiere broke all records and topped the Netflix Top 10 chart across 52 countries. Its current design and corporate identity considered the possibility of creating sequels, which the series’ creators did, announcing preparations for the second season’s release in 2022.
The design and logo development were entrusted to COLLINS, an independent design company that offers strategy, design, and communications services, with offices in New York and San Francisco. The created brand is flexible yet consistent, offering a real window into the world the developers created, allowing you to get the most out of preliminary and intriguing information about cities in the sky and a dark dungeon. A special visual language was created that allows for immediate adaptation; I immerse myself in the series’ plotlines. This is also facilitated by a systematic approach to all typographic and color elements, which serve as a worthy reflection of the skill and power of the game creators and the animated series.
A specially created original font, Iron & Glass, was used. Each letter is visually perceived as a handmade work of art, created by a skillful and ingenious craftsman from the created universe. Typography combines two fundamental styles that reflect the peculiarities of this world – Art Deco and Art Nouveau. So it was possible to colorfully and effectively convey the confrontation and unity of the two factions in the city’s history. At the same time, graphics and the construction of visual compositions successfully convey the atmosphere that unites all the lines of the story, flexibly using language tools, illustrating large-scale events or specific moments in the plots, and making them convenient to share on social networks.
By building on the fantasy motif’s originality in shaping the overall structure and design, it was possible to develop an animation style that supports the series and aligns with its spirit and content. The epic identity bordering on ambition made a new style a real prologue to the beginning of acquaintance with the background.