3E Academic Championship
3E Academic Championship, an esports contest for students, once thriving post its 2019-2021 peak due to its educational focus, now faces decline amid rising competitive interest. To counter this, a vital solution lies in a comprehensive professional rebranding. This entails a fresh visual identity, revamped promotional materials, and innovative marketing strategies to revitalize the competition's appeal.
- Logo design
- Visual identity
- Deep market research
- In-depth interviews
- Marketing ideas
- Motion design
- Social media
- Web design
- 3D design
-
Writing a bachelor's thesis
Client: Esport Student Associtation
Team: Solo project
Conceived as a bachelor's thesis at the university, this project earned an "Excellent" rating and stood out as one of the finest project of my study program in the 2023.
It took almost a year from the inception of the bachelor's thesis to the successful defense of the thesis. The actual creation of the visual style itself took around 2 months.
3E ACADEMIC CHAMPIONSHIP
3E ACADEMIC CHAMPIONSHIP
About the competition
The 3E Academic Championship is an amateur competition in esports for university students. The competition is organized by the Esport Student Association (ESA). The competition places a strong emphasis on the connection between education and esports. In addition to competitive gaming, ESA conducts lectures and workshops related to electronic sports. The competition itself takes place every semester in three games (League of Legends, Counter Strike, and Hearthstone). Initially, matches are played online, followed by offline finals where the top teams gather on university campuses.
About the project
After a skyrocketing success between 2019 and 2021, the 3E Academic Championship is now undergoing a gradual decline. This is primarily due to intense competition, as more entities become interested in university esports. The solution to this issue could be a comprehensive and professional branding, which the competition currently lacks. The project includes a proposal for an entirely new visual identity, suggestions for promotional materials, and a fresh marketing direction.
Market research
I began the work with an in-depth exploration of the Czech esports market. The research primarily involved examining data from annual reports. Based on this research, I drew several conclusions crucial for the progression of my work.
40%
of czech people know what is esports.
15-29 y.o. men
is the biggest fanbase of esports in CZ.
90%
of fans are watching livestreams.
Prague, Brno, Ostrava
Most of the fans are from these cities.
Mobile phone
is the primary accesory to watch esports.
Companies begin to perceive esport in the CV
positively.
Biggest opponents
My research continued with a competition analysis. I selected the most significant rivals and identified their strengths and weaknesses. That was very important for further work.
Esport Liga
- Under the banner of team eSuba
- League also for high schools and companies
- For universities, exclusive to CS:GO
- 7519 SoMe followers
- Project: Esport University
UniCup
- For slovak students
- Special competitions for Czechia
- Qualifications for european contests
- 2850 SoMe followers
- Collaboration between EL and UC
GSport
- Bridging gaming and sports
- Unique finals (sports & esports disciplines)
- Under the patronage of Charles University
- Effort to engage not only universities
- Global ambitions
Number of players during seasons
Number of watched hours on Twitch
Interviews with organizers
I conducted two in-depth interviews with the two main competition organizers. Based on these, I outlined several points that I adhered to during subsequent practical work.
3E stands for Esport, Europe, Education. Simultaneously, 3E signifies "Free."
They don't want to rename the competition. The name holds value for them.
They are facing a decline, loyal fans have already completed their education.
Due to COVID, there has been a significant decline in sponsor interest.
Former visual style
The original visual identity was based on a comic-style logo, but other visuals were fragmented and lacked a unifying element. Moreover, the logo was too intricate for comprehensive use across all materials.
Moodboard
Based on the moodboard, I set goals for my visual style. I aimed for a font that looks good both in Condensed and Wide variations. I wanted to use 2 main colors. The visual style shouldn’t rely solely on the logo; it should also incorporate distinct graphical elements suitable for motion design.
New logo
Colors
The visual style uses two main colors (pink and turquoise), reminiscent of classic 80s and 90s video games that followed the CGA graphic standard. These nearly complementary colors provide strong contrast.
Typography
Visual style
The visual style is guided by a set of principles and rules. At its core lies a grid that harmoniously arranges various elements. These components encompass headings, photographs, vibrant colored blocks, and recurring texts. An intriguing deviation is the addition of playful doodles, injecting a sense of liveliness into the design. Notably, photographs receive a special treatment, employing a duotone color palette for a distinctive look.
Motion design
Social media
The content across social media platforms is thoughtfully curated to match the unique nature of each channel. For instance, TikTok becomes a hub for entertaining memes and captivating match highlights, crafted to amplify virality. On Instagram, a shift occurs, transforming it into a vital communication conduit that not only shares engaging content but also provides organizational insights. In contrast, LinkedIn assumes a different role, honing in on prospective sponsors and partners with specialized content and focused engagement.
Website
Merchandise
When I was designing merchandise, my focus was on creating items that held genuine value for the fans. Instead of the usual items like pencils and mugs, I opted for more unique offerings such as compression sleeves, mouse pads, and blue light-blocking glasses. The intention was to provide merchandise that not only resonated but also served a practical purpose for the audience.
3D printed trophy
Unlike merchandise, this involves a tangible physical object. I personally designed a 3D trophy using modeling software and subsequently printed it on a school printer. Such an item can serve as an intriguing element that challenges the common perception of trophies as being gold cups. This distinctive approach adds a unique touch that stands out from the conventional notion of trophies.
Weapon skin in CS:GO
LoL AR filter
Marketing directions
Ambassadors
- Ambassadors frequently leverage e-sports teams for communication purposes and to expand awareness.
- Competition organizers are open to collaboration with ambassadors but lack financial resources.
- Collaboration potential exists with ambassadors of smaller reach, who might engage without compensation.
- Individuals whom 3E:AM aided in kickstarting their careers stand as potential options.
Competetive education
- 3E:AM has the potential to expand its reach into other domains beyond gaming, such as financial literacy or programming.
- Connecting with existing competitions and in these fields offers a viable avenue for 3E:AM’s growth.
- As a reward for triumphing in 3E:AM, practical internships with sponsoring firms could be a compelling incentive.
Qualification to Europe
- Seeking international partnerships and leveraging 3E:AM victories as qualifications for international tournaments would significantly enhance the competition’s appeal.
- The ESA organization already boasts experience in this regard (tournament for the Visegrád Group).
Current status
My work was so successful that I managed to get to the NáplavKKa 2023 exhibition, where the best students from the University of Creative Communication and Michael Academy exhibit.
The exhibition will take place on September in a very busy place in the center of Prague. So probably lot of people will see this project.