Art Director: Tom Southernwood
Graphic Design Team: Chris Margerison, Rob Butler, Myoung Chung
Artist: Romain d'Escrienne
Logo Animation: Ahram Park
Art Direction, Branding, Graphic Design
Creating the Brand Identity, Key Art, Logo, Campaign and much more for Rise of the Ronin. The latest title by Team NINJA, the veteran Japanese studio behind Nioh and Ninja Gaiden.
An epic journey across war-torn 19th-century Japan in this combat-focused open-world action RPG . Set in Japan, 1863. After three centuries of the Tokugawa Shogunate’s oppressive rule, the Black Ships of the West descend upon the nation’s borders and the country falls into a state of turmoil.
Rise of the Ronin is an immersive, open world action RPG, in which you will explore a beautiful and authentic world as you forge your own fate through narrative choices that influence a story of a fast changing Japan. The brief was to create a visual identity that delivers an emotive, informative impression of the Ronin experience.
The core idea of the identity idea taps into the time period of Bakumasta - a time period where enforced isolation collapsed and Japanese society changed profoundly, and western influence started to take grip of the country. Using the vast open, moody and atmospheric landscape to evoke this uncertain time, as well as freedom of choice for the Ronin, a masterless samurai.
Inspiration also came from classic Japanese cinema, and contemporary typography that avoids over used traditional Japanese calligraphy cliches and pops against the moody artwork. The stylised ‘O’ represents you and your ‘twin blade’ partner’s intertwined fate, a theme expressed throughout the game.
The key art was illustrated by artist Romain d'Escrienne, and the concept is based on the ‘Midnight Assassination’ mission at the beginning of the game that sets up the epic story that follows.
Your character and their ‘Twin Blade’ infiltrate the Black Ships in Yokohama Bay on a stormy night to assassinate Commodore Matthew C. Perry and steal a secret message in his possession. The scene shows a brief the calm before the mission starts.
I directed the logo reveal for the announcement of the game, animated by Ahram Park. Showing close ups of the sharp angular forms of the logo being revealed by the rolling fog, before revealing the full logo, resolving with it fading into the wind, continuing the theme of using the environment to evoke emotion.
