MindGames is a competitive knowledge-based gaming platform that combines elements of a social games network with the community and credentialing of the World Series of Poker.
The company aims to build an competitive social ecosystem through a suite of casual games and tournament events, the first of which is MindSports baseball. Since okellydesign had partnered with MindGames to design the MindSports game itself, it was natural that they would turn to me when it came to designing a mini-site that could introduce the company itself.
The site had to appeal to potential investors and gamers alike. The primary goal was to provide a launch pad for both audiences to get to the game itself, as well as acting as a promotional tool for it. Secondly, it had to provide information about the company behind the game, and its founders. Lastly, it would detail the privacy policy and terms and conditions for the game, and provide a means for gamers who were experiencing issues with the game, or potential investors and advertisers to get in contact with the development and financial teams respectively.
The overall look and feel had to be separated from the game, as MindGames is a distinct entity (the parent company) which will likely branch out to other games in the future. However, given the nature of the company, a certain ‘sports-like’ aesthetic was appropriate, which was achieved through use of bold graphics and a strong color palette.
Keeping the information clear was paramount, and to do this, I employed a confident typographic hierarchy, with large type signaling the headers and secondary display type giving the primary information on each page. The extremely long Privacy Policy and TOS pages were carefully typeset to ensure optimal spacing and legibility online, as well as ease of finding the desired/relevant sections for the user.
Lastly, an identity was created for MindGames, with the stacked version used on the site. The identity combines an ‘M’ and a ‘G’ to to form a single, unified shape. A fieldgoal from American football is formed in the negative space, alluding to the sporting aspect of the company’s games. A strong palette of black and deep green speak to the sporting emphasis even further.
The shape of the logo on the site provides a springboard for the surrounding elements to take their cue, with an unusual navigation panel combining with the logo’s holding shape to anchor each page and provide a sense of dynamism. It also functions to bring the viewers eye into the content, which aids achievement of the site’s goals.
You can visit the site here, and play MindSports Baseball here