Intro

Your team has a playable game. Now you need to make people want to play it.

In this lesson, you'll create two things that sell your product to players:

• Brand Kit — A single document defining your game's visual identity: logo, colors, fonts, tone, and art guidelines. Think of it as the "rulebook" so everyone on the team stays consistent.
• Poster — An 11×17 printed piece that goes on the studio wall and hooks people. It shows the game's vibe, the core action, and a call to play.

You're not designing in code. You're using Figma, Canva, or Adobe (tools you know from past projects). This lesson is led by your team's Art Lead and Marketing Lead, with input from everyone.

Before You Start

You need:

• Your team's approved design doc and concept pitch from Lesson 3.1
• Screenshots or video clips from your playable builds (Lesson 3.3)
• Any existing game art or mood board from the design doc
• Access to Figma, Canva, or Adobe Creative Cloud (check with your Art Lead)
• A working title and tagline for your game (one sentence that sells it)

Keep in mind: A poster has seconds to grab attention. One striking image, bold text, and clear call-to-action. Less is more.

Task 1: Brand Kit Foundation 🟢

Goal: Define the visual identity that will appear on the poster, trailer, and portfolio page.

Duration: 1–2 class periods

1. Create a Brand Kit document. In your team's shared folder (Teams or Google Drive), create a document called YourGame_BrandKit. If using Figma or Canva, make it a shared file.
2. Define the color palette. Choose 3–5 colors that match your game's mood:
   • One primary color (the dominant color on your poster)
   • One accent color (highlights, buttons, important elements)
   • One neutral (white, black, or gray for backgrounds and text)
   • Optional: 1–2 secondary colors for depth

   Example: Platformer game for kids might use bright blues, oranges, and whites. A mystery game might use deep purples, dark greens, and grays.

   Include the hex codes (e.g., #FF6B35) in your Brand Kit so the team can use exact colors in their builds.

3. Choose typography (fonts). Pick 2 fonts:
   • One for headlines (bold, distinct, memorable)
   • One for body text (readable, clean)

   Example: Montserrat for headlines (modern, punchy) + Open Sans for body (readable, friendly).

   Make sure fonts are available to the whole team (Google Fonts, Adobe, Figma library).

4. Design a simple logo or logotype. This can be:
   • A single memorable icon (a sword, a star, a face, a symbol)
   • Stylized text (the game name in your chosen fonts and colors)
   • A combination of both

   Keep it simple. It needs to work at small sizes (on a business card) and large sizes (on a poster). Save it as a reusable file (PNG, SVG) for the poster and trailer.

5. Define your tone of voice. In your Brand Kit, write 2–3 sentences describing how your game "speaks":
   • Playful: Funny, lighthearted, uses emojis and puns (good for kids' games)
   • Epic: Bold, dramatic, inspiring, uses power words (good for action games)
   • Mysterious: Hints at secrets, asks questions, builds curiosity (good for puzzles/stories)
   • Minimalist: Simple, clean, direct, no fluff (good for cerebral games)

   This guides your poster copy and trailer voiceover.

6. Save and share. Upload your Brand Kit to your team's shared folder. Add a link to the team channel so everyone can reference it. 🟢 All teammates can now use the same colors, fonts, and tone.

Checkpoint: Your Brand Kit document includes colors (with hex codes), fonts, logo, and tone of voice. All team members have access.

Task 2: Poster Design 🟢

Goal: Create an 11×17 poster that makes players want to play.

Duration: 2–3 class periods

1. Set up the canvas. In Figma, Canva, or Adobe:
   • Create a new 11×17 document in portrait orientation (inches, CMYK if printing)
   • Set margins: 0.5 inches on all sides
   • Use your brand colors as the background or color blocks
2. Choose a hero image. This is the largest, most eye-catching element. Pick one:
   • Gameplay screenshot: A striking moment from your build showing the coolest action
   • Character portrait: The player or main character looking awesome (if it's a story game)
   • Stylized illustration: Custom art by your Art Lead showing the game's vibe
   • Abstract design: Bold shapes, gradients, or patterns that evoke the game's mood

   Rule of thirds: Place your hero image off-center for visual interest. Don't center everything.

3. Add the title and tagline. Using your headline font and primary color:
   • Title: Your game name, large and bold (40–60pt)
   • Tagline: One line that sells it: "Escape the tower before time runs out" or "Every choice matters" (16–20pt)

   Place them for balance. If the hero is on the right, put text on the left.

4. Add a call-to-action. At the bottom, include:
   • Where to play: "Coming to ICT 9 Studio" or "Play now on the studio wall"
   • A date or launch info if applicable
   • Optional: team names ("Designed by Team Alpha")

   Use your accent color or a bold contrast for this so it stands out.

5. Polish and refinement. Check:
   • ✓ All colors match your Brand Kit
   • ✓ Fonts are consistent with your Brand Kit
   • ✓ Logo appears somewhere (usually top-left or bottom-right)
   • ✓ No crowding; plenty of white space
   • ✓ Text is readable from 10 feet away (test by zooming out to 50%)
   • ✓ The poster has one clear focal point (usually the hero image)
6. Get team feedback. Share a preview with your teammates:
   • Does it grab your attention?
   • Can you tell what the game is about?
   • Do the colors match the game's vibe?
   • Is anything hard to read?

   Make one round of edits based on feedback.

7. Export and save.
   • Export as PDF for printing (high-quality, color-managed)
   • Also export as PNG at 300 DPI for digital sharing (email, Teams)
   • Save the original design file (.fig, .psd, or .canva project) so you can edit it later

   🟢 Your poster is ready for printing and sharing.

Poster Spec Checklist:

• ☐ 11×17 inches, portrait orientation
• ☐ 0.5-inch margins
• ☐ One striking hero image (full color, high contrast)
• ☐ Game title in headline font (40–60pt, readable from across a room)
• ☐ Tagline (16–20pt, one compelling sentence)
• ☐ Call-to-action at the bottom (where/when to play)
• ☐ Logo present (top-left, bottom-right, or integrated)
• ☐ All colors from Brand Kit
• ☐ White space (not crowded)
• ☐ Consistent tone (matches Brand Kit description)
• ☐ Ready for print (PDF at 300 DPI or higher)

Blue Tasks: Deeper Learning

• Brand guidelines expansion. Add a full page to your Brand Kit covering: image style (do you use pixel art, photorealistic, cartoon?), UI patterns (buttons, menus, icons), and usage examples (how the logo appears on different backgrounds).
• Alternate poster designs. Create two more poster variations targeting different audiences. Example: one for kids (playful, bright), one for hardcore gamers (dark, intense).
• Accessibility audit. Check your poster for colorblind-friendly contrast. Use a tool like WebAIM Color Contrast Checker. Make sure it works in grayscale.
• Animated poster. Create a 3–5 second GIF or video that cycles through poster elements or shows gameplay clips with your title animation.

Reflection

• Describe the mood you wanted your poster to create. What colors and imagery did you choose to convey that?
• How does your Brand Kit guide consistency across the poster, trailer (Lesson 3.5), and portfolio page (Lesson 3.6)? What would happen if you didn't have it?
• If someone saw your poster without any words on it, would they still get a sense of what your game is about? Why or why not?
• What design choice are you most proud of in your poster, and why?

Hand It In

Submit to Teams under "Lesson 3.4 — Brand Kit & Poster."

• Your Brand Kit document (shared link to Google Doc, Figma, Canva, or PDF)
• Poster (PDF and PNG files) exported at 300 DPI for printing
• Original design file (Figma link, .psd, or .canva project for future edits)
• Screenshot of team feedback (Slack thread, Teams chat, or shared doc showing input and revisions)
• Your reflection (the four prompts answered)