Introducing the Elite Gaming Logo

A new logo for an old store with a new name

Back at the beginning of this year, my friendly local gaming store was taken into new ownership. The previous owner wanted to sell up some of his 4 stores across East Kent, to give him time to focus on his family.

In the first quarter of 2017, XPG Dover closed and in its place opened Elite Gaming, with no logo.

How we got here

Shortly after the takeover was completed, and the name was decided on, talk about a logo started. How would it look? What feel should it have? Who should design it? One weekend, with a little time on my hand, I played around with some ideas and concepts and came upon the logo the store is using today.

I knew from the off that I wanted to create a logo that was minimalist, classy, and that would set the store apart from the colourful, almost gaudy, logos of gaming stores throughout the world. I also knew the logo had to relate to gaming in some way, and the visual language and metaphor used in this hobby.

Initial ideas revolved around the meeple – a famous icon in the world of board gaming – and dice, the gamer’s tool. It quickly became clear that, to keep the initials of the name in the logo mark, meaning that it can be used without words where space is at a premium, that dice would be a better device. Their printed faces allowing for the initials to be clearly displayed.

Competing Logos

With other stores in the local area, there were plenty of logos to consider and work against in the market. Below are a selection of the logos used in the local gaming market by stores.

The final logo

The final logo combines the EG dice device alongside the words “Elite Gaming” set in the Whitney font. The dice provide a visual metaphor and relation to the board gaming hobby, with dice perhaps being the most recognised and famous part of tabletop gaming, whilst allowing for the EG initials to be shown on their faces.

The Whitney font, chosen for its premium yet friendly feel, gives Elite Gaming a unique presentation in the local retail space, as well as providing the circular faces of the dice.

The monochrome nature of the logo means that it works well in a variety of environments – from posters and online overlays, to receipts and price labels. The white space of the logo can be removed or have its colour changed to match other uses or add a fun element to the logo.

Here are some pictures of the logo in use.

Whilst it is currently set against the gaudy interior of the previous store and its colour scheme, the new logo gives the shop the refined feel that the new owner is looking for, whilst being designed purposefully for use in the store, on posters, and on receipts.

The logo has been happily received by the store’s owner.