MEKANICA
INSTRUCTOR
SCOTT LASEROW
ELEMENTS
BRANDING
LAYOUT
ILLUSTRATION
TYPOGRAPHY
To revisit my earlier venture, Mekanica Supply functions as a snack-subscription service intertwined with a captivating fictional narrative.
Upon deciding the direction of my thesis project, I opted to revisit Mekanica Supply. However, instead of further defining the food product of Mekanica Supply, I opted instead to flesh out and expand on the brand and universe of Mekanica by itself as a hypothetical video-game art book.
MAGIC
To put it simply, Mekanica is a world where magic and robots coexist. Here, powerful wizards and dragons confront massive mechanical robots and mobile suits in epic battles
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ROBOTS
My primary inspiration for this universe's setting stems from the captivating blend of magical fantasy with industrial and scientific technology, much like the intricate machinery seen in Gundam.
Even before I designed Mekanica Supply, I always envisioned Mekanica itself as a video-game that takes heavy inspiration from FromSoftwares acclaimed titles like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, etc.
Apart from the overall atmosphere and gameplay, what drew me most to these games was their distinctive storytelling approach. They're renowned for not directly narrating the game's events but instead, revealing morsels of lore and story through item descriptions, NPC dialogues, and various other means.
Expanding on the world's design elements, I felt compelled to create a fresh logo. My initial approach involved crafting a design inspired by the "M" letterform in Mekanica Supply, aiming to explore a distinct visual style.
After some consideration, I concluded that crafting a letterform-type logo lacked the impact I desired. Given the aim to convey both the magical and robotic essence of the game, I opted for a more symbolic approach instead.
Once I refined the symbol, I delved into blending typography with the mark. My focus was primarily on integrating "Mekanica" seamlessly with the logo.
Eventually, I further refined the logo mark and decided to add a uniquely designed border around the mark. My main inspiration was akin to that of a floppy-disk which help guide my deign sense for this border
In selecting the typographic treatment, I aimed for simplicity to enhance the prominence of the illustrations. Given the post-apocalyptic setting of the game, I opted for a font with a worn or decayed appearance for the headers to visually align with the theme.
When it boiled down to choosing the body text, I sought a font that balanced standard geometry with a hint of whimsy. This choice aimed to convey the juxtaposition between the industrial and magical aspects of the game.
MACHINE FORCE
At the heart of the game's narrative lies a war-torn backdrop pitting an industrial, militaristic faction against an arcane, mystical force of magic. To underscore this dichotomy, I opted to integrate these symbols as iconography, serving as embellishments or accents throughout the design of the art book.
MAGIC FORCE
For the book's design, I aimed for a straightforward, illustrative spread that could effectively convey the setting. Drawing inspiration from the illustration used in Mekanica Supply's advertising elements, depicted on the left, I revisited and expanded upon it for this purpose.
To elucidate the game's concept and lore background, I opted for a blueprint-schematic aesthetic, integrating illustrated robotic parts to entice the reader to delve deeper. Maintaining a simple black and white palette for this spread served to enhance the contrast and make the subsequent spread stand out even more.
In the initial stages of conceptualizing Mekanica Supply's aesthetic, I sketched some character designs to steer my visual direction. Now, revisiting these initial sketches, I chose to refine and elaborate on them further.
After refining the initial sketches and introducing additional characters, I opted to utilize these characters in designing one of my spreads. This decision was made to deepen the design ethos of the art book and provide further guidance in its aesthetic direction.
Concerning the mechanics of the game, these seven characters act as the main bosses of the game the player will have to conquer to reach the end goal
While crafting this spread, I aimed to finalize my layout. Following discussions with my instructor, we agreed upon a 3-column grid setup. This decision was made to effectively organize both type and illustrations, ensuring consistency in design even when deviating from the grid structure.
The Ult Glyph as shown above acts as the ultimate end-goal for the player upon defeating the seven glyph-keepers. The design for the Ult Glyph is a more simplistic design to help communicate its purpose
The Wanderer is the main playable character that the player can customize and control. Since in the setting of the game the Wanderer is an android like being, I used circuitry to communicate this design scheme.
The classes serve as various paths the player can embark on during their journey. Each class boasts distinct strengths and weaknesses, yet players aren't confined to a single choice. They have the flexibility to switch between classes or even blend them together, provided they invest enough time into each.
The Weapons spread was a point where my creative drive surged. I aimed to design weapons that melded traditional elements with futuristic advancements, resulting in a blend of classic and clean aesthetics. Organizing these weapons in a structured manner alongside relevant text added a sense of orderliness, enhancing the overall impact of the spread.
The armor and accessory designs primarily served to bolster the visual identity of the Mekanica brand and world. When creating the NPC Questlines, my goal was to introduce characters that added diversity to the intricacies of the in-game world. Among them, Vali, featured on the page, holds particular significance for future design endeavors.
The Bio Link spread is intended to unveil the inner workings of the Wanderer character. Beyond merely enhancing abilities through healing and power-ups, players can establish a connection with deactivated robotic titans, referred to as Automotons or AX Models. These AX models serve to augment the Wanderer, granting them heightened abilities.
The game world dynamically responds to the player's actions, with repercussions that may be either beneficial or detrimental, often revealed only upon experiencing them firsthand. This dynamic aims to convey the inherently chaotic nature of the game.
Moreover, multiplayer functionality stands as a pivotal element within the game's mechanics. Players have the option to collaborate, tackling challenges collectively, or engage in head-to-head battles with one another.
Returning to the Ult Glyph, once the player surmounts a final trial to acquire this item, they gain the ability to unlock various endings in the game. The straightforward design of the glyph provided me with the opportunity to embellish it with additional elements, representing the diverse paths players can take towards the ultimate goal. While there are four primary endings available, deeper exploration into the game's mechanics reveals even more potential endings.
As previously noted, the character Vali holds significant importance within the design. Throughout the design phases of Mekanica Supply, her character consistently stood out to me. Therefore, when it came to designing the back cover, I chose to feature her prominently. I illustrated her in a dynamic pose, intending to captivate the reader's attention and establish her as a sort of mascot character for the project.
In crafting the cover design, my objective was to incorporate both my logo mark and force iconography to effectively convey the core essence of the game.
Given that this is a fictional video game concept, I thought it appropriate to create a mock-up design for a physical game case, showcasing the platforms it would be available on: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Steam or PC.
