D&D 5E D&D Next weekly art column!

[Stormonu]

Out of those logos, only #5 appeals. #7 would be good if it was in color and the "&" looped through the "ge" in dungeon and "go" in dragon.

Of all the logos, I like the AD&D one best. Clearly, the dragon "&" is very important, but it should read as a letter, not become just a graphic.

 

[Libramarian]

I really like that logo #7 for some reason...

I wouldn't mind a navy/grey/purple-y motif.

And # 6 and 10. I could almost be persuaded to like #4,


I think my one sentence "feel" that I am looking for is self-assured.

I want it -- talking about the logo and other graphic design elements -- to say "this is an old game. It's weird. It's a little esoteric. It's for grown-ups. And not just any grown-ups, grown-ups who actually read books. We're not going to pander to you."

Of course I want the actual mechanics to be simple and easy, but I don't want the presentation to feel like that.

Um...this is how I would put it.

D&D is the simple kiddy gamist game in the context of broader tabletop RPG culture.

But in the context of broader gamer culture (98% of whom play videogames and very rarely actually sit down and read a book), D&D is f***ing rocket science.

Play that up. That attracts attention. Forget about other RPGs.

I want it to feel classic, fluff/imagination/story first, and like it's unaware that other tabletop RPGs even exist.


edit,
more thoughts:

I honestly would prefer anything BUT red. There's probably some psychological study that says red is the number one best 100% objectively proven color for attracting attention or something right? I don't care. I don't like it.

I want, self-assured, classic, weird, nerdy, offbeat. I don't want tryhard, "edgy", bland, pandering, needy.

 

[Lwaxy]

Catering to gender and racial stereotypes is probably the fastest way to turn people OFF to D&D than to bring them in. If the imagery of women in the books is of mothers, healers, general "not so tough" roles we might as well put in sex-based stat limits.

Being a mother is a tough enough job.

I don't think most women won't be put off by everyday roles depicted, provided you will have males in the same positions as well, of course. The issue is with not wanting to be depicted as sex objects or sluts.

Asides, I was talking of the % of female imagery not depicted as the adventuring type, going by the mention that a lot less females than males would want this kind of lifestyle.

 

[Sunseeker]

Being a mother is a tough enough job.

That's not the point.

I don't think most women won't be put off by everyday roles depicted, provided you will have males in the same positions as well, of course. The issue is with not wanting to be depicted as sex objects or sluts.

The "traditional roles" are IMO, more offensive to women than serialization of them is.

Asides, I was talking of the % of female imagery not depicted as the adventuring type, going by the mention that a lot less females than males would want this kind of lifestyle.

It's a fantasy game, any assumption that "girls don't like adventuring" is going to piss people off.

 

[steeldragons]

To be clear: None of these are intended to be the basis of the D&D Next logo. These are just an exercise in recognizing what is essential in a D&D logo.

For me, it's the Dragon-&.

As for the AD&D 2e logo, remember that it is actually the 1e logo, with a blue background and a red "2nd Edition" notation:

I concur and this is my favorite one too.

If nothing else, the "ampersand-dragon" should look like this, regardless of what is done with the rest of the lettering/font.

[MENTION=17608]jon[/MENTION]Schindehette I know it is not generally done with Logos, but I'm thinking, as something that's never been done before with a D&D logo and we're after something "New" looking that still plays on the "old nostalgia"...has it been considered that "Dungeons" and "Dragons" don't need to be the same font?

I'm thinking "hard and blocky" for "Dungeons"...since they are generally hard and blocky...look like it's carved from stone or something...and "loose and rounded" for "Dragons" since that is the "fantasy" more "dreamy" side of things. Connect it in the middle with the dragon-& shown here and I think you have a winner.

(Whether it has the "Advanced" included or not doesn't really bother me one way or the other. I presume there will be some products that may want to be labeled as "Advanced" but the "Dungeons & Dragons" part would look the same whether it is an "Advanced" product/module or not

--SD

 

[delericho]

My favourite of the existing edition logos is the 3e one. My least favourite is the 2nd Ed one.

Of the proposed logos, my favourites are #1, followed by #7. None of the others really grab me, and several look far too clean and modern (which I felt was also a weakness of the 4e logo, although that one wasn't too bad).

However...

They're all very much of a similar style - you have the two words (on one line or two), mostly with the ampersand at the start of the second line. Surely, there's scope for something a bit more inventive?

Back at the end of the 2nd Edition era, TSR had a circular logo with a dragon in the centre. What about something like that? Put the word "Dungeons" on the ring at the top of the disc, the dragon-ampersand boldly in the centre, and the word "Dragons" on the ring at the bottom of the disc. Adjust sizes and colours to get an appropriate emphasis on the various elements...

Oh, and also: I'm enjoying this column quite a lot. More than I thought I would, given that the art is one area of 5e that I'm really not at all worried about.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Ooo haven't been keeping up with the articles.
1: nice, but there's something that bothers me about it, a little too medieval looking, like it's trying too hard to be old then it's not.
2: too cartoony. Looks like something off those Marvel shows aimed at 5-year-olds.
3: 8-bit gaming, woo!...um, no not really. Too "oldschool" and not in a good way.
4: um...what is this?
5: is probably my favorite, good color, good design, clear lettering.
6: I think 6 says "unions and bagels"
7: is a good variant to #5, probably would work for covers that need to be more colorful in which #5 would bend in too well. Alternatively might be good for a specific type of books.
8: Russian D&D! Neyt!
9: good, traditional, nice, but a little bland.
10: maybe if wizards decides to print everything in B&W...or not...
11: I love the logo on this one, but I'm not so fond of the lettering.
12: why are people still using this type of bad photoshop glow/shadowing? eww.
13: Might be cool on the side of a WOTC NASCAR....
14: neat logo, too metallic, too futurey, too sci-fi. Maybe good for some future sci-fantasy content tho.
15: good, but lacks pizazz.
16: Too angular, also very Russian again, neat, but not ideal.
17: I have to squint to read it, good idea for books? no.


Aside from the dragon ampersand, most of these look like someone whipped them up in photoshop. And the poll, seriously? How does that help ANYONE? It should have had 17 choices for people to pick their favored design. All the options presented are meaningless as they have no context.

Yeah, 5 was the only one that really hit it. It reads well, has a bit more of an antique feel to the lettering than the 4e logo does. I always liked the red lettering.

I never liked the 2e logo that much. The whole blue surround just never cut it. In the original form as the late 1e logo without the blue background it wasn't too bad, it had a nice clean look.

Most of the other options besides 5 didn't seem incredibly readable to me. The whole thing with the '&' not reading between the words just bugs my eyes.

No doubt they can do better than any of them and maybe some new concept will appear that will be awesome. I'd be happy enough with #5 though.

 

[Kaodi]

I have a rough vision for the next D&D logo. Since I am merely a solitary fan, it does not much matter how strongly I feel about this vision, it is probably not likely to become any sort of guiding principle. But I think it is worth sharing.

I truly believe that the next D&D logo should be a " signpost " logo. As in a logo that looks like you could actually find it on a signpost in a D&D world. And it should have lead in text...

This way lie...
Dungeons & Dragons

This would make it not merely the name of a game, but an advertisement for what mysteries and dangers might be found within.

Edit: I really like some of those logos on their own merits. 11, for instance, is really sharp. But most of them would just not work with the kind of sign I have proposed. In that regard, I think 7 is the best. I could actually see 7 on a signpost in the world (or something similar to it). Also, in regards to past logos, while initially I really liked the 3e logo, these days I rather like it the least of any except the OD&D logo.

 

[Klaus]

I have a rough vision for the next D&D logo. Since I am merely a solitary fan, it does not much matter how strongly I feel about this vision, it is probably not likely to become any sort of guiding principle. But I think it is worth sharing.

I truly believe that the next D&D logo should be a " signpost " logo. As in a logo that looks like you could actually find it on a signpost in a D&D world. And it should have lead in text...

This way lie...
Dungeons & Dragons

This would make it not merely the name of a game, but an advertisement for what mysteries and dangers might be found within.

Edit: I really like some of those logos on their own merits. 11, for instance, is really sharp. But most of them would just not work with the kind of sign I have proposed. In that regard, I think 7 is the best. I could actually see 7 on a signpost in the world (or something similar to it). Also, in regards to past logos, while initially I really liked the 3e logo, these days I rather like it the least of any except the OD&D logo.

Even if this doesn't make it to logo status, I LOVE the idea!!!

Maps in the D&D world don't claim "here be dragons", they claim "here be dungeons & dragons"!!!

EDIT: Crap! Can't XP you!

 

[Jon Schindehette]

"Aside from the dragon ampersand, most of these look like someone whipped them up in photoshop. And the poll, seriously? How does that help ANYONE? It should have had 17 choices for people to pick their favored design. All the options presented are meaningless as they have no context.[/QUOTE]"

In case you missed the part in the article where I stated that I asked Emi to do some quick explorations of what a D&D logo might NOT look like...in other words, designing a logo from the point of view of a designer at Barnes & Nobel, Nike, etc. - yeah, these aren't supposed to be D&D logos, per se.

And the reason I didn't put in 17 different choices so that you could pick your favorite, is becuase I was looking for the ideas of what folks think is "iconic" to a D&D logo. I've seen way to many discussions about whether it should have a sword in the logo, whether the ampersand as a dragon is important, etc. I thought it would be interesting to get some numbers to go along with the discussions.

Does that make sense?