Minecraft
A Blocky Universe of Play

Project information

Since its creation in 2009, Minecraft has rapidly grown to become one of the world’s best-selling and most popular games with over 132 million players each month. But ten years after its humble beginnings, Minecraft had outgrown the world of gaming – it’s a global phenomenon, and an entertainment franchise of similar complexity as Lego. During this process, the brand around the Minecraft games and experiences started to feel fragmented and without clear direction.

Together with the Minecraft Brand Direction & Creative team we’ve created new strategy, architecture, and a playful identity for the whole franchise – a design system and philosophy that brings together all the many parts of the Minecraft universe, from games to services, tv shows, festivals, events, toys and partnerships. The result is a new franchise-wide brand identity with a distinctive look and feel that’s unmistakably Minecraft, consistently rolled-out across all digital and physical touchpoints.

Just like in the game, the new design system is built around a simple pixel grid. It’s the foundation of the Minecraft design system and sits beneath every single asset of the brand, from logos to typography, from layouts to images. The rigorous use of the pixel grid allows us to create a brand that feels like a natural extension of the game – it is even based on exactly the same resolution as the game (16×16). A playful design system that feels just as open-ended as the game itself.

Impact

+70% Distinctiveness Fame +19% Purchase intention +17% Consideration +17% Exciting design +14% Creative design

Services

Brand Positioning Vision and Mission Statements Concept Development Brand Asset Development Design System Tone of Voice & Messaging Motion Identity Custom Typeface Design Art Direction Print Design Digital Design Branded Environments Brand Guidelines

Project partners

Copywriter: Lex Courts Type design: Canada Type 3D/CGI: Bsmart

Project summary

Extensive rebrand of one of the world's best-selling and most popular games. We created a holistic brand experience for the entire Minecraft universe – moving the iconic brand from just a game to an entire entertainment franchise.

Impact achieved

+70%

Distinctiveness Fame

+19%

Purchase intention

+17%

Consideration

+17%

Exciting design

+14%

Creative design

"This extensive effort has always been about respectfully nurturing the legacy of Minecraft’s brand identity. Our motto in this work has been to simplify and amplify Minecraft’s visual language into a cohesive and durable system as the Minecraft franchise now expands into the future”.

Martin Johansson
Senior Art Director, Brand Direction Team, Mojang Studios