SYNOPSIS
Working at 31st Union during the studio’s first 5 years presented tremendous opportunities for me to contribute ideas and take ownership of key components that ultimately shaped studio branding as well as the AAA original IP game. Leveraging motion graphics and video production were critical deliverables for First Playable Milestone, Vertical Slice, Alpha, and Green Light milestones to present an idealized vision held by the team of what the finished game experience would be like. Injecting character, high production value, and narrative allowed 2K Execs and stakeholders to see firsthand the scope, gameplay mechanics, and player experience, while pushing the envelope to entertain certain ideas previously thought “impossible” – as possible. The following samples illustrate just how much of an important role video, motion graphics, photography, UI/UX design, and graphic design plays not only when showcasing AAA game milestones, but also representing a multitude of capabilities & business areas throughout the company through the diligence of studio branding. Since the game is still under development, I am currently limited as to what I can show externally, so this is a just a glimpse.
UX/UI Web & Game Menus
Rapid prototyping of UX and UI assets for game menus and multiple published studio website responsive designs.
Graphic Design
Created 31st Union Studio Branding Guidelines as well as art assets for Recruiting, HR Onboarding, Workplace Experience, Social Comms, and holiday / anniversary studio care package designs for employees.
Culture
Worked with the Culture department prepping guest speakers, recording presentations, and maintain a VOD archive for Tuesday Tutorials, Happy Brain Hour, Culture Advisor meetings, Leadership Lunches and more.
Vi-Docs / Features
Chronicling product updates and profiling meaningful contributions key employees have made to both local and international communities.
Social Comms
Featured employees, talent and culture updates, and company events were captured and distributed internally / externally.
Milestones & Greenlights
First Playable Milestone, Vertical Slice, Alpha, and Greenlight presentations included multiple high production value motion graphics cinematics, Unreal Engine Sequencer cinematics, and in-game capture videos.
STUDIO CULTURE
Building A Cohesive Brand Identity,
Internally And Externally
Part of starting a new video game studio is defining who we are as a collective body consisting of artists, designers, coders, producers, operations, and more through visual unity and a values system. This acts as a foundation where the studio persona journey begins.
31ST UNION
BRANDING GUIDELINES
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FIGMA UX / UI DESIGN
STUDIO WEBSITE
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The website serves as the studio’s first impression to the world; ensuring curbside appeal is vital in order to attract new talent while also establishing a reputation for the AAA studio to stand apart from its peers. Exhibiting a high production value presentation that focused on the studio brand and culture was necessary since the unannounced AAA game was still in development. The 2K web team relies on premade templates to generate their studio websites, so it was a creative challenge for me to design www.thirtyfirstunion.com in Figma that is not only a unique experience, but also adheres to their web parameters. Below is a success story of me working with the 2K web team, advocating 31st UNIONS’s interests, and achieving a final result that satisfies all parties. I provided a turn-key solution, creating the interactive prototype, design mockup, video content and photography content.
31ST UNION
VIDEO PRODUCTION
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Over the course of the 4 years I worked at 31st Union, I created game cinematics using Unreal Engine Sequencer, gameplay with the proprietary in-game capture tools, motion graphics trailers, and sizzle reels for stakeholders. On the studio side, I captured and archived Monday All Hands meetings, Tuesday Tutorials, Happy Brain Hours, Culture Advisor Meetings, Game Jams, Vi-Docs, and company events. Since I cannot show game-specific examples due to NDA, the examples below focus on the external facing studio videos designed to engage and build brand affinity. However, the following reactions from leadership offer insight to the quality and impact of my game-specific video deliverables.
”Wow! Did you hire out to a production vendor for the videos?
Tyler Michaud | Head Of Strategy & Communications2K Games Exec asking Tyler who created the milestone presentation game videos
Nope - it was all done by one guy, in-house.
STUDIO BRAND AFFINITY
TOGETHERNESS WEEK JULY 2023
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Since a considerable number of employees work remote at 31st Union, the studio conducts a “Togetherness Week” once every 6 months where all North America employees travel to San Mateo to participate in team building activities, listen to special guest speakers, and network with each other, deliberating on how to make the AAA game the best it can be. Below is an example of one such event that took place in July 2023. It consists of raw footage and photography I captured on-site, turning the content into a hip montage, which captures the excitement and inspiration from that week. This asset was leveraged externally on social media and LinkedIn, offering a slice of life at 31st Union and build brand affinity.
EXTERNAL COMMS
NEW OFFICE SPACE TOUR
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In 2023, 31st Union moved to a new studio space in San Mateo, filled to the brim with all sorts of amenities and job perks. This provided an excellent opportunity to document what all the studio has to offer while at the same time, featuring the amazing staff doing their thing in this newfound creative habitat. Strategy and Communications leveraged this video on social media and LinkedIn to attract candidates and further solidify 31st Union’s brand.
VOLUNTEERING & HAVING FUN
STUDIO EVENTS
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Game studios are known for developing fun games, but what else do they do? 31st Union is proactive in reaching out to help volunteer both in the local communities where they reside as well as employee fundraising for various global initiatives. The team also steps out of the studio every once in awhile to stretch their legs and enjoy some recreational quality time. Below are two examples I documented that help tell these stories, further defining the studio’s values and its people.
Giveback Initiative 2:28
“The 31U Giveback Initiative for the San Mateo medical clinic backpack drive resulted in 202 backpacks filled with school supplies for low income and foster children K-12.”
Togetherness Week Pinstripes Bowling 2:13
“Every 6 months, the North America team meets at the San Mateo office for a week of togetherness that includes fun outings such as Pinstripes Bowling.”
PHOTOGRAPHY EXAMPLES
STUDIO LIFE
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Photography is a vital component to establishing not only brand affinity, but also humanizing the journey of building a studio and original AAA game. I took an editorial approach to capturing moments of the wizards behind the curtain, the dreamers, the game makers all working together toward a unique vision.
STUDIO BRANDING
RECRUITING ASSETS
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Below are samples of recruiting assets I designed that leverage some of the Photography I took, implementing them as part of the overall studio branding. This approach humanizes the studio while also attracting talent, who recognize colleagues from the games industry. Note the Black / White / Orange primary branding colors being leveraged in a creative manner.
STUDIO BRANDING
BUSINESS CARD CONCEPTS
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Below is an exploration of how to best represent 31st Union via business card designs, utilizing the studio branding colors, logo, and branding icon in various ways. Each concept contains front and back sides (“F” and “B” respectively) that can be mixed and matched with each other within their assigned concept. Initially, I was playing around with the idea of having the 31U star match the color of the employee name as a means to convey a subtle way of communicating that 31st Union’s employees are indeed its stars, but ultimately it strayed from the branding guidelines too much, so the idea was abandoned. Scroll left to view each concept in chronological order.
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