Belief
Gaming brands all follow a similar archetype, blending into a jumble of aggressive noise. Led by the groundbreaking Arctis product launch, we can holistically rebrand Steelseries to separate and distinguish itself from the others.
Proof
Artifacts: Packaging design, product graphics, web MarCom + E-Com pages
Guidance: Art direction, content design, digital brand expression, information architecture, UI, UX
Tactics
Researched and developed with a strong emphasis on modern Scandinavian design, the new Arctis (codename: Siberia) headset brings refinement to a market largely devoid of it. It is poised to bring new customers to potentially not just the Steelseries brand, but the gaming headset category itself.
The current landscape of gaming brands all follow a similar archetype, blending into a jumble of black and metallic noise. This undertaking aesthetically and functionally creates a holistic brand identity from on-shelf to online more befitting of the product's modern Scandinavian roots and separating itself from the competition, and closer in alignment with Arctis, which brings an elevated level of design to the market.
Exploration
Due to engineering and logistical timelines, product and packaging visuals are the first priority in production. After initial research and auditing of the competitive market, these product and on-shelf visuals are created with the intent of exploring a wide range of artistic directions.
Here we delve into ways Arctis can be coherently visually disruptive, experimenting with how expressive the brand identity can be through varying design directions, spanning aesthetic themes from synthetic futurism to Danish irreverence.
Product Headset Graphic Design Directions
Packaging Design Directions
Implementation
Evolving from the previous explorations, the Arctis visual identity features a highly defined graphic architecture combined with expressive illustrated elements to create a disruptive, market atypical on-shelf brand identity that can be easily expanded to other product lines and media types. Typography and graphics are designed with the sentiment of being equally practical in digital, print, and motion.
MarCom
In conjunction with the newly streamlined on-shelf identity, now we elevate the brand's online identity. To correlate with the launch of Arctis, the brand's entire online identity is redesigned to align with the new product line's identity, signifying just how important the product is to the future of the company as a whole.
The new corporate landing page introduces itself with a header featuring imagery of actual human beings, something practically unheard of in this market. With new brief, straight-to-the-point copywriting, more personable, in situ product photography, and a more mobile-friendly grid layout that doesn't assume every user is viewing the site with an RTX 9000, the new online brand expression is a more inclusive, less hyperaggressive introduction from a brand looking for a wider range of consumers.
MarCom Product
The new product section immediately separates itself from the competition through color and photography. With large, user-focused imagery, large swaths of white space, and accents of illustrated graphic elements, the visual energy and expressiveness of the page provides users a more affable, approachable interface that doesn't seem like something dictated by a product sales manager.
eCom Product
The new shop section of the website allows for a more informative and straightforward final point-of-purchase experience for visitors ready to buy. For visitors coming directly from a mid/bottom-funnel stage of product consideration, they will no longer have to scroll all the way to the bottom of a long product page and scroll back up for more detailed product information.
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