positivity.
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creativity.
quality.
mission statement
“to respect and value creators while providing quality products and service for customers.�
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A moment browsing the Dark Horse website, reading the introduction to a comic, or interacting with an affiliated store is all one needs to feel that Dark Horse is truly a home for creators and fans alike. Even its small town location (compared to other comic book companies) and grass roots creation story speak of a passion for comics and for the people that make them.
Going forward, it will be important to maintain this feeling throughout the logo design and marketing applications while giving each element a modern update that can keep up with other comic book companies and the changing comic environment, which is shifting more and more to online publishing. 6
The story of the company founded and funded by one comic book creator must continue to shine through but Dark Horse must also continue to update its logo and marketing to stay relevant, not falling behind other companies.
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current logo.
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The current logo, while not bad, has room for improvement. It feels slightly dated and most importantly, does not remain consistent across different platforms. While the horse head stays consistent the text is frequently rearranged. Sometimes it takes the form of the logo in the center, but on the spines of books or in oddly shaped places, it may be rearranged in any way necessary to make it fit. Sometimes the horse head is dropped entirely in these situations.
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logo concepts.
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When designing different iterations of a new Dark Horse logo, I knew that the logo must maintain the friendly feeling that is integral to Dark Horse while also helping give the logo a modern upgrade. Additionally, it must be able to be positioned in many different places without needing to be changed for each situation.
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final logo. version 1.
version 2.
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The new logo contains two elements allowing for versatility while also maintaining consistency.The Dark Horse text includes a horse head within the D, allowing it to be used independently while still including the horse head, which has been used in Dark Horse marketing consistently. Additionally, the horse head may be used independently of the text as a snapshot logo that can be easily placed on any book cover, spine, or website.
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extra element.
Some iterations of the Dark Horse logo use these three black stripes beneath the horse head.
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In current design elements, the three stripes can become a consistent part of the visuals by now being shown in increasing sizes and Dark Horse’s signature red.
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typography.
headers. Cochin Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !@#$%^&*()-=+
small text. Gill Sans ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !@#$%^&*()-=+
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For Dark Horse’s typography, I wanted to have both serif and sans-serif fonts. It is important for Dark Horse’s branding to feel comfortable but also not too dated. I feel that there current logo is leaning toward the dated side so I wanted to be careful that the serif font I selected was a good blend of old style and a fresh modern look. The sans serif will also help with the modern look and keep documents looking clean.
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color palette.
CMYK 5 98 98 35 RGB 160 23 21
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CMYK 1 98 99 9 RGB 215 34 34
CMYK 0 85 85 3 RGB 231 175 53
For the color sceme, I simply expanded upon Dark Horse’s existing colors. The current color sceme consists of only the middle red and black, which I believe is effective in conveying a strong presence and keeping the website and branding clean and modern.
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future goals.
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create a set of easily recognizable elements for Comic Cons and similar events.
create events that allow Dark Horse to directly interact with fans.
continue building online presence.
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customer persona 1.
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customer persona 2.
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print elements. letterhead and envelope Mr. John Smith 1234 W. Providence st. Honolulu, HI 93752
DARK HORSE COMICS 10956 SE Main St Milwaukie, OR 97222
JANUARY 12, 2017 Mr. John Smith 1234 W. Providence st. Honolulu, HI 93752
Dear Mr. Smith, Fic tota voluptatem num volesequi to voles quatis et omnihiti con cus sum quasita temossi ipsapidignam aut mil id quia sitaspernate lant a dist a delique volorat occus. Maximollant. Ris aut hicil mos nobit pro magnihitate ma pere rehent parcill endignimodi doluptat im illam, nempos ipid quis eaquibusae denda volorem oluptas ressitatis dolorehenis rent illab impersperit omnis eveliquodi officte nobis dion enis asint eum aboriatin conet antias molenim quunti dignatibus, simillupis simust et facia acese dolorera quidit aceptatur si blaut quibus, sendam, consequ untiaectem quiatet labo. Rios dem earchic atemque voluptas ad quas essus, odio. Et quias re cum voluptatem nitaspe rchiligendi ni seditatur rempor sit minciis quamenisqui sam simpor aut volore vellitium volorpo rescita sperum ania volupta ssuntur, omnimus.
business card
DARK HORSE COMICS Signature Here
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John Smith 10956 SE Main St Milwaukie, OR 97222
posters
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digital elements.
website
DIGITAL STORE
NEW RELEASES
PRODUCTS
FEATURES
POPULAR
ZONES
ABOUT
DIGITAL STORE
NEWSFEED
PRODUCTS
FEATURES
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TRAILERS
EVENTS
ABOUT
Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson as an offshoot of his Oregon comic-book retail chain, Things From Another World. Richardson pursued the idea of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals, and twenty-five years later the company has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States. read more
SOCIAL MEDIA
ZONES
comic reader mobile app STORE
initial loading page
home page
LIBRARY
SOCIAL MEDIA
comic book reader
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comic reader mobile app - tablet version STORE
LIBRARY
more space for library view
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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digital connections map
WEBSITE ABOUT DIGITAL STORE PRODUCTS FEATURES
APP COMICS BOOKS
MOBILE APP
TABLET VERSION
DIGITAL STORE
DIGITAL STORE
LIBRARY
LIBRARY
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMICS BOOKS OTHER PRODUCTS
ZONES SEARCH SOCIAL MEDIA 30
SOCIAL MEDIA
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environmental elements.
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souvenir ticket for Comic Con event DARK HORSE PRESENTS: STAN SAKAI Comic Con 2016 July 17, 6pm
STA
NB
Dar k Com Hors ic C e Sta on 2 ff 016
ROW N
staff name tag to be worn in plastic lanyard sleeve
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Comic Con wall art
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