Rule Zero is a bar, food and gaming venue based in East London.
Situated in a modern 3 story building, the first floor is a bar and restaurant, but go up the stairs and you're greeted by an area to play tabletop board games, card games, war games, role play games and more.
To help bring the vision to life, Ian Paget was hired to design a logo for the new venue.
Rule Zero is a rule that's so important it comes before one… “Don’t be a dick”. That’s the mantra of Rule Zero, a bar and gaming venue based in East London where anyone can be unabashedly nerdy, and have a good time without a colossal array of rules and policies.
Enter the building and you’re greeted with a bar and restaurant with beer on tap, cocktails and good burgers. Head up the stairs to play tabletop board games, card games, wargames and roleplay games. Then go downstairs to a performance space, a separate venue for live music, comedy and a variety of entertainment.
When it comes to gaming Rule Zero are focused on community and fun, not fierce competition. It's a place to have a great time with friends, playing games everyone loves. It's a space that’s cooler than most games stores, with windows, plants and natural light, being much more welcoming than the average gaming dungeon.
After moving to a larger new venue, Rule Zero wanted to rebrand. With a fresh new name and mantra to hand they required a new logo that would capture who they've become. To help with this task, with an understanding of geek culture, Ian Paget was hired.
With tabletop gaming at the heart of the business, Rule Zero needed an identity that captured the inner geek without using cliches. Something subtle and smart. And with plenty of nearby hipster bars, it needed to be designed so that it wouldn't alienate casual passing crowds who may enter for a drink with friends.
With the goal to become a destination worth travelling to it was also required that the new logo work effectively on a range of merchandise including t-shirts, beer mats, bags and more.
The final logo design, as presented throughout this case study, solves this challenge. It features a distinct and memorable symbol, a three-dimensional cube with a dot on its side to represent a device used in most tabletop games - a dice. Not only that, but the shape also forms a capital R, with the dot representing a zero.
The dice symbol has then been paired with a bold, impactful sans serif font that captures the attitude of the new gaming bar. Then to give the feeling of a fun, friendly venue a colour combination of purple and green was used.
With a distinct and memorable brand asset now created, the dice symbol can also be used throughout the business in the form of a colourful pattern. This includes wall displays, wrapping paper and much more.
