Strategize and collaborate in early stages.What’s more, the five elements - metal, wood, water, fire, and earth - based on the concept of Wuxing in ancient Chinese philosophy, were incorporated into broadcast visuals to showcase the following principles: Red and blue, which indicate the two sides of Summoner’s Rift, were chosen to “represent the energy of the LPL and the spirit of opposition”.Īdditionally, the graphic style itself was heavily influenced by traditional Chinese ink drawings, where edges are blurred as the colors bleed into each other in gradients. In the case of “Crazy Is Our Game”, a campaign that fuses traditional Chinese culture, its colors and strokes were particularly important. Every single visual aspect of the product has to be updated, from marketing assets, broadcasting assets, offline activities, merchandise, as well as licensed products. Rebranding an esports league requires a lot of work. Putting it all together, from design, to assets, to products Credit: LPLĮven the redesigned trophy by Tiffany and Co conveys this deep symbolic meaning as its handles were intricately sculpted into two silver dragons. Specifically, two themes, tension and eruption, were integrated into the “Crazy Is Our Game” visual system. Weaving in the spirit of Chinese culture where the dragon represents strength, good luck, and fearlessness, the league has also embodied the Dragon Soul from Summoner’s Rift. With the new “Crazy Is Our Game” rebrand, the campaign aimed to bring out the true LPL spirit, which according to the organizers is about “breaking the mold to reach the impossible”. However, this doesn’t fully encapsulate what the esports league is truly about.
Since the LPL was officially established in 2013, there’s a strong perception from LoL esports fans that the region’s playstyle is overtly aggressive, where pro players constantly skirmish and team fight throughout the game. Credit: LPL “Crazy Is Our Game”: LPL is where Chinese culture meets esports Since the LPL celebrated its 10th year anniversary during summer, it was important to the esports league to reform the way they communicated to fans and “create a bold identity for the next decade and beyond”. High end brands like Christian Dior have partnered with pro players like Yu “JackeyLove” Wen-Bo, while most recently, Marvel chose to collaborate with FunPlus Phoenix to produce cool new merchandise. This is in addition to its already huge domestic market.
Why rebranding an esports league is importantĪfter back-to-back World Championship feats by Invictus Gaming in 2018 and FunPlus Phoenix in 2019, the LPL has been gaining more attention from the global audience.