# A wordmark for n0thing

In late 2019, former professional Counter-Strike player Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert was looking for a logo. VisionOfVIII, an artist whose work I admired and had helped with, recommended me. Jordan commissioned a custom wordmark and asked for something serious, but left the visual direction open.

### Exploring directions

My first proposal was a pixel wordmark. Jordan liked it but wanted to compare it with a typewriter-like direction influenced by the 1980s. I used that feedback to draw a second wordmark.

![Typewriter direction](media:n0thing-typewriter-direction)

We agreed that the typewriter version felt off-balance. Its letter widths pulled the name apart instead of holding it together.

### Back to pixels

We returned to the pixel concept. I varied the construction of the zero, adjusted the letter spacing, and tested monochrome versions against a red-accented set.

![Pixel wordmark variations](media:n0thing-pixel-variations)

From those studies, we chose the final pixel wordmark. The original delivery folder shown below contains the AI and PSD source folders beside the six exported PNG files.

![Original export folder](media:n0thing-export-folder)

I finished the identity by animating the trailing underscore. The movement is limited to the cursor, so the wordmark keeps the weight and spacing of the static version.

![Final wordmark in motion](media:n0thing-wordmark-animation)

Jordan approved the mark and I delivered it in 2019. The route from the rejected typewriter study back to the first pixel idea produced a stronger final wordmark and a useful motion rule.