Logo Driven Brand
Dragon’s Lair
Comics & Fantasy
“Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy ® opened on September 3rd, 1986. From humble beginnings, and with the support of our customers, employees and friends, we have been recognized as some of the finest comic book and game stores around the country. Now in four cities, we have a common mission of providing inclusive, fun, friendly, professional and exciting places for you to connect with your fellow enthusiasts and find cool items that you will enjoy!”
Challenge
Over the last 10+ years, Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy has seen a major shift in its revenue. With the rise in popularity of Dungeons & Dragons™ and other tabletop role-playing games, Dragon’s Lair has seen more and more role-playing inside its store. This rebrand focuses on reimagining Dragon's Lair as a TTRPG destination rather than just a comic store.
Mission
Dragon’s Lair strives not only to provide gaming materials but to foster a community. In addition to its storefront, it operates as a free third space for tabletop gaming and “nerd culture.”
Target Audience
Dragon’s Lair’s primary audience is adults in their 20s and 30s. These adults are typically college students or young professionals looking to expand their social circle and enjoy collaborative gaming. They tend to hail from middle-class backgrounds with some money to spend on hobbies.
Research
By all accounts, the logo has stayed the same since the store opened in 1986, and though that gives the logo a deep history, it has no reference to tabletop games other than there being high fantasy imagery, which, though D&D is the most popular role-playing setting, it’s not the only one.
The current logo does not work very well on a small scale and is also a bit too similar to the arcade game, Dragon’s Lair, from which the store took its name.
Dragon’s Lair San Marcos Interior
Very Focused on Tabletop games
Lots of D&D-related decor
large sections for board games
comics line the walls
Large section in the middle specifically for TTRPG and Trading Card Games
Current Logo
art nouveau
Sketches
illustrative
Don Bluth Style Dragon
Process
Mood Boards
high fantasy
Drafts
Color Study
Final Logo
The Final design incorporates both the dragon and the tabletop game experience, putting a dragon face on a D20 and having it gripped by dragon claws.
Magic: The Gathering Variations
Inspired by Magic: The Gathering cards, I made color variations representing the 5 Mana colors in MTG: Red, Green, White, Blue, and Black.
Reflection
I really love the final result and hope to continue to flesh this out. Dragon’s Lair is very special to me and I had a lot of fun playing around with it
