Ultimate nerd trivia
San Diego’s ULTIMATE trivia adventure for nerds and pop-culture enthusiasts alike.
This logo is a modern take on what would be a retro video gamepixelated design. I wanted to make a 1980’s psychedelia type of design with some chrome and a few pixelated elements, to really make it seem like the ultimate portrayal of the nerd/pop-culture universe.
Power and pixels… the ultimate combo.
Planning
On my day off work, I decided to call a friend to go shoot some billiards at a local bar. Soon after a few games and some brews, we noticed a peculiar shift in the clientele. Many of the new patrons pouring in wore “cosplay” attire. Every person mimicking and referencing their favorite characters from pop-culture media.
Amazed at the gathering, we noticed that every one attending was there for a trivia night. Better yet known as “Ultimate Nerd Trivia.”
We definitely participated….
After the trivia was over, I spoke with the owner and organizer of Ultimate Nerd Trivia and exchanged contact information. Mr. Paraiso agreed to meet one afternoon shortly after, to discuss re-branding and logo design for this epic trivia event.
Composition
If you’re going to be working on anything for a client, then note taking is your best friend, (in my honest opinion). I basically took everything Mr. Paraiso and I had discussed in our meeting, and applied it in Illustrator.
To begin the foundation of the design, We wanted to emphasize that this trivia is directly marketed to nerds. Quite frankly, I think that’s awesome. So I thought of a good font that fits just that.
Video games are a huge part of nerd culture so I decided to utilize a retro-pixel type font for the word “NERD.” I then used a different font for the “ULTIMATE” and “TRIVIA” and applied a pixel type effect to fit the aesthetic.
Applying a 3D effect on the font to make it stand out more and emphasize the word Nerd further. I then added a drop shadow to the top and bottom font to give it a pop. Add a few lighting bolts, and call it a day.
Final Rendition
At this point I’ve added lightning. I’ve added pixels. I’ve added a 3D element. Why isn’t it looking as epic as I wanted it to? Oh, that’s right. It was missing chrome, and some sweet gradients!
I’ve decided to add a soft blue to purple gradient for the background to make the rest push through. A solid yellow outline helped emphasize the design a lot more. Again, keeping the “NERD” as the main focus, I’ve decided to add a chrome type gradient to the word. This gave it that ‘80s retro video game vibe we all know and love.
The lightning bolts were then made white, instead of yellow, and more transparent. This allowed for the chrome coloring to peek through a lot more. To keep the design consistent, I’ve made a yellow drop shadow for the “Ultimate” and “Trivia.”
Once I felt happy with the outcome, I sent it off for approval. The client was exceptionally happy with the product.