Rainmaker

The Rainmaker brand was built on a proven record of 20 years in animated production working with Mattel, Hasbro, Lionsgate and Sony. It represented a long standing legacy of Mainframe who were known for cutting edge technology and cult classics, while Rainmaker made its name through visual effects, post and lab. We created a character named Ting, who grounded and connected a modern stylistic approach to composition and layout. He weaved narrative through paint brushes and textures rendering characters and worlds created at Rainmaker.

Team
Denis Suhopoljac (creative director)
Jeremy Unrau (lead designer)
Francesca Natale (character designer/art director)
Jongpil Choi (front-end developer)

Activities
Ideation
Identity Design
Brand Design
Character Design
UX Design
UI Design
Usability Testing

The redefined rainmaker symbol reflected creativity of the modern age. A perfect geometric shape hiding the letter “r” inside of it. The rainmaker and mainframe legacy unified in style.

Rainmaker Identity

The hand signifies a painting on a rock face of early man. The swirl in the middle represents creation and creativity. This version posed challenges in reproduction due to dual colors and textures. It suffered poor scalibility and legibility.

Mainframe Identity

Rainmaker acquired Mainframe Entertainment who were known for cutting edge technology and cult classics. Its identity was a minimalist logotype.

Creativity & Technology

The new symbol had to embody the idea of cutting edge technology and creativity molding together. The rainmaker symbol was organic, while the mainframe logotype was geometric. They are two opposite design executions and approaches.

Unified Design

A multitude of ideas were explored, nevertheless a unified design approach and execution had to be established. The redefined symbol reflected the idea of creativity of the modern age. A perfect geometric shape hiding the letter “r” inside of it. The symbol was complimented with a sans typeface that reflected precision, curvature and movement. 

Typography & Colour

We maintained recognition of the brand by keeping colours traditionally associated with Rainmaker. In order to remain in line with the identity and characteristics that reflected precision, curvature and movement we maintained the visual language with two sans typefaces. URW DIN for headlines and call to actions, while Aktiv Grotesk became the body typeface mostly used for paragraphs.

Ting

Ting was born throughout our brand discovery phase. As we spoke to employees and studios Rainmaker partnered with, we highlighted two stories that stood out. First and foremost, employees where incredibly proud of the worlds and characters they were creating. It gave them purpose and made them excited to come to work. This is where the tagline "Where worlds are created" was born. Secondly studio partners perceived Rainmaker as an entertainment company that is continuously driven and fuelled by imagination, with impressive credentials to its name. However we rarely leveraged our legacy nor did we have an effective way to drive it through a narrative or different mediums. As a result we created Ting. A mold of cutting edge technology and creativity.

Advertising

A basic set of six was created as a model for all types of creative executions. Everything from paid advertising, print posters, ad stands, recruiting, human resources collateral, pitch decks and one sheets.

Launch

The funding for a full brand roll out was scarce and most of the project was put on hold. Ting did make it out into the world, albeit in much more altered configuration along with the tagline "Where Worlds Are Created."

The logo, website and stationary never went into production. The proposed brand rollout would have solved and paved a way for a much more cohesive and consitent brand experience.

However, after further analysis it became apparent that the future and the past were the same. Ultimately Rainmaker decided to return to its former roots and the brand of Mainframe.