ShawneeXP

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ShawneeXP

Brand development for a developer-focused game accelerator at Shawnee State University

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Overview

Shawnee State University (SSU) launched ShawneeXP in 2024, a game accelerator program created at a time of great upheaval and volatility in the games industry, to support sustainable game development and provide mentorship, funding, and community to studios. The goal was to establish a distinctive, resonant brand identity that both aligned with SSU’s institutional brand and appealed to game culture.

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Naming

As the brand designer for both SSU and the ShawneeXP program, I helped shape ShawneeXP’s identity from the beginning. Part of that process involved helping the team find a name suitable for the gaming scene and still belong to the university. The name “ShawneeXP” (short for “Shawnee Experience Points”) grew from that idea. It connects Shawnee State as a university with game culture by using their shared elements: progression, learning, and personal growth. The name is unique to other game accelerators on the map and has a memorable rhyme that makes it roll off the tongue.

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Connecting ShawneeXP with SSU

The name itself, ShawneeXP, is the most obvious and strongest connection between the two brands. ShawneeXP also inherited and expanded on the SSU "Blue & Gray" brand colors, but they're connected by more. Visually, the two brands connect back to the university's setting on the Ohio River. It can be seen in the "River S" logomark of SSU, and as a key motif in ShawneeXP. Evoking water reflects ShawneeXP's roots, but also its stated purpose: to bring sustainability and healing to an industry in need. This ties naturally into the gaming world, drawing on the concept of healing water as a classic game mechanic many gamers will know.

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Visuals

Soft and glowing gradients evoke a sense of calm, nature, and regeneration, which make an interesting contrast with the sharp lines, bold shapes, and metallic futurism of the XP logo and other design elements, which speak to the innovative and future-looking characteristics of ShawneeXP.