“Broken swords and dragon's bones
Scattered on the way back home
Beating to the sound of clashing steel
When they're on our heels
Now chant the tales and legends told
Strengthened by the hymns of old
Weathered as this winding road is long
So, we sing our traveler's song”
- Traveler's song, Aviators, 2018
My career on the path I chose began in earnest the moment I discovered video games as a young child. I will not revisit the events of my article "Delay"; however, I will discuss my branding and the story it tells about my career path. This would also provide a brief glimpse into my mind to illustrate how my worldview has been shaped by my experiences up to this point.
So Relax and enjoy the Sagas I’m going to tell.
Pencil is mightier than the Sword.
When I first started university, one of our first major projects for the first half of the first semester at Western Sydney University was the development of a brand. The course was held at the Werrington Campus at the time. Our first major undertaking was to establish our brand. Something that would be uniquely us and that appeared to be a lot of fun. My tutor at the time, Roman Goik, was a legend in his field; I never knew what he accomplished as a designer, but his experience shone through in the form of kindness and insight. Since leaving the hellish UWS college at Milperra four months prior, it was a relief to find him to be such a genuine good person.
I drew sketches and jotted down ideas on a double-sided A3 sheet of paper as I considered every possibility. It was a sheet of optimism, but not one of them jumped out at Roman. Honestly, I had the exact same sentiments. At the time, I had not yet acquired a taste for design. I had a keen eye for detail, but lacked the perspective of a designer, which is essential for telling a visual story.
Roman asked me, "Where do you want to go after university?" I stated, "I know I want to work as a concept artist in either films or video games" (even back then I had this same goal). Roman gave me a surprised look and remarked, "It's been a long time since I taught someone who wanted to be a concept artist....very it's competitive and difficult.... I would suggest learning about lighting and perspective, and I believe Google Sketchup could be useful in this regard." I myself was astonished to hear this. It inspired me to create the brand name BQ: Design, illustration, and concept art. Roman's response of "Eh" made me feel as if I hadn't yet struck gold. He would eventually suggest that you try something and see where it leads you or experiment with your signature.
I laboured for hours before something in my mind clicked. A Pen is mightier than a Sword...... A Pencil is more powerful than a Sword. At the time, my only drawing medium was traditional. I had no experience with digital outside of Photoshop and disliked it doing digital art.
I would ultimately produce B. Quinlan: design, illustration, and concept art. My signature was a sword that was a blood-tinged maroon colour. On the opposite side, falling squares fell into place. I drew from the old branding of the original Legend of Zelda on the NES.
Even after it was completed and made, I was not completely convinced. It was my first time performing a similar task. Of course, the first attempt will not be flawless. I believe I must have had a sub-conscious thought at this time about my desire to strive for greatness and learn everything possible.
Throughout my time at university, the Sword would serve as my emblem. It exemplified my passion for illustration and my attention to detail, which I wished to convey. Which continued to improve as my university career progressed.
The sword was with me when I was offered an internship with the Mill in New York and when I started my final year of uni. At that point, I felt that the Sword's power was no longer assisting me in achieving my goals.
Taking my Flight into the Industry
My fourth year of university was arduous; it really toughened me up and solidified my progression towards becoming a designer. It was a year full of work experience and a significant undertaking. It was a year filled with blood, sweat, and tears, as well as all-nighters, heartbreak, and exhaustion. This year was spent honing our skills and accumulating substantial work samples for our portfolio. After my first year, the course was relocated to Parramatta.
I was still carrying the sword and desired a change. I had not yet acquired any business cards. I wanted to ensure that my brand reflected my intended message this time around. Tell a story and possess a story. It took me some time to let go of the sword, despite the fact that I did not believe it to be perfect. This was my first brand. It will always be special because it was the first representation of myself.
It did not occur to me until I played the video game Devil May Cry 5. This game's main theme, "Devil Trigger," echoed through my mind as I played it. The movement of the characters and the entire world's design. All of these thoughts racing through my mind; my arm is on fire and my veins are ablaze. Frustration is gettin' bigger Bang, bang, bang, pull my Devil Trigger. It was the entirety of the game that left me in awe. I thought it was a perfect game, right down to the branding.
Then it actually happened to me that I would use wings as my logo. It may represent my entry into the design industry. I am spiritual by nature, and it did occur to me that it could be interpreted as angel wings. However, I believed they were merely "Badass" Wings that would get me to my destination. Even angels and devils use their wings for flight, protection, offence, and care. This would be the strength upon which I would build my brand. The wings were hand-drawn in sharpie and scanned from my notebook. The logo remained the same blood red colour, but the font was a rough, dry marker style. This was intended to represent the raw energy I wished to convey in conjunction with the wings. This concept was directly derived from devil may cry 5. As a gamer, I have always stated that it is only natural to be inspired by something you enjoy.
The wings would propel me into flight upon graduating university, through the pandemic, and into my many opportunities, including my invitation to the Mentor's Guild, my internship with Purple Patch, my junior designer position with ACEL, and my current position as a content creator with Informa.
It’s about time you meet our dragon
Since starting with informa as a Digital Content Creator, I've gained a new sense of self-assurance. I knew before I even began that I wanted to change my logo to a dragon. However, I decided to wait until I naturally felt more confident before stripping away the wings and assuming control of my dragon.
The decision to rebrand this time was not motivated by a desire to eliminate a weaker ability. I simply desired a new business card design for the foreseeable future. Something that would reflect both my professional vigour and my desire to dream big. Kings have used the dragon as a symbol of power for centuries, as far as I can tell.
However, I did not anticipate having to completely rebrand everything. I changed the colour of the blood from red to black. The Dragon ended up being purple, the same colour as Spyro. Initially, I desired a logo similar to Final Fantasy V's dragon emblem, however didn’t go with this in the end.
Using my skill as a Concept artist, I would sketch a blueprint of the design, focusing on how to draw the eye and incorporate movement and flow into the design. I would discover after completing the design. Dragonheart, one of my favourite movies from childhood, had subconsciously influenced my design. I have always admired Scottish Dragons.
After completing the brand, I rebranded my entire website. The Here Be Dragons concept from old maps would become a slogan now.
So What does the logo mean?
The Dragon signifies that a brand is adaptable, innovative, and resilient even in the face of disruption.
The colour purple is associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, strength, and ambition. Purple is also associated with wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, autonomy, and magic.
Black is traditionally viewed as a symbol of professionalism and gravity. However, it can also be utilised to evoke elegance, substance, and power. Black is chosen by companies seeking to make a bold statement and convey a sense of authority and respect.
In essence, I see my dragon as me stepping into my full power and potential in the future, wherever that may lead. Not accepting Sh*t, battling for my beliefs, and being Legendary.
“It's our time to shoot the stars, We ain't gonna stop till the world is ours, It's landslide, rocks below, Ready to rise, ready to roll”
- Be Legendary, Pop Evil, 2018
Comments