![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/de1da8d66ea039663df665032cf2079f420f4dc432b6f9560d7ed23805713a61/bpg-art-3x2.png)
Black Phoenix Games
2021
2021
I designed a logo and a website for the distributed video game studio, Black Phoenix Games, in 2021. The logo, a “black” phoenix, is meant to be the opposite of a regular fiery one: cold, sharp, in a perpetual solid state. I looked to crystals/glass, steel, and black holes for inspiration; things in the universe tempered under immense pressure and heat loss. The entropic conclusion of a star. The diligent formation of something special with fortune and skill.
Visit Site ︎
Visit Site ︎
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/368fe16b57572a360ab785064c0619c65337b7fb8961833fa40ad55971fafbea/black-phoenix-games-moodboard-v2.jpg)
Moodboard excerpt — black quartz, ravens, a black hole, and sculpture by Cornelia Parker made of suspended charcoal.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f445a4b8b913c42150db46e15dc0c8c5f034296e6184ae33a08789840bbcc618/black-phoenix-games-logo-black-bg-1x1.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/859c74398f979eac23b8497980880f0b227a73907d05aa067399da083085e78d/black-phoenix-games-logo-white-bg-1x1.png)
The mark we landed on is a reimagined heraldic eagle shape, which is a very familiar icon with a history that goes back thousands of years. For a phoenix, we almost always see flames as part of the motif but for this mark, I wanted to reference the sharp facets of crystalline structures in the natural world, or shattered glass. There’s a delibrately added illusion to the overall logomark that makes it look like the face of a predatory bird. Finally, the head of the crest can standalone when branding in very small spaces, like for the website’s favicon.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7c0288e54b3386697ee3714334f7ca8ecf5d00d362196bf318f6211e1bda061b/black-phoenix-site-1-c-v2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d5ab1c7e0baa86a823297b28fcc50e9585068038c2cca84576ae8dbb2364d1a3/black-phoenix-site-2-c-v2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/70c729ce71267b75f88852b642ad4f60ee83520d2390a5661b87b8db8ebb24e7/black-phoenix-site-3-c-v2.jpg)