“Legendarium” product design.
Final product:
Team Building events in medieval/ fantasy role play styles.
Target users:
IT and Technology sector companies from the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
Contribution:
Concept creation
Brand design
Corporate mythology creation
Visual design for every part of the project
Client experience design
Team building scenarios & tasks creation
“Legendarium” project: from the concept to the final product.
Definition and Research
The project was initiated by a small team of creators in Estonia in 2019, targeting Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Scandinavian countries.
The product's relevance was driven by the following factors:
Estonia experienced significant growth in its IT industry during 2018 and 2019, particularly in the startup sector. This period saw a surge in new companies, particularly in gaming and robotics, establishing a strong presence in the country. The Estonian startup ecosystem attracted substantial investments, surpassing €300 million in 2018 alone, with major contributions from companies like Bolt and Pipedrive. Estonia also became known for its competitive edge in IT due to its digitalised infrastructure, high level of tech talent, and favorable business environment, making it a key hub for IT companies. ( Invest in Estonia Startup Estonia Invest in Estonia)
There was also a strong market for employee training, team building, and entertainment for IT specialists. Since part of our team had experience in business management training, we had access to data indicating a high demand for innovative team-building formats.
Our goal was to create a product that addressed the need for gamified team interaction processes.
The cultural identity of the region, characterised by Viking culture and medieval themes, provided opportunities for collaboration and venues that enhanced the event experience.
The popularity of board games and video games among IT professionals also influenced the choice of format for the new product. ( OSUM Blog Wargamer GWI)
"We decided to create a product that would serve as a team-building tool, rooted in the cultural heritage of the Baltic and Scandinavian regions, with a gamified format adaptable to client needs and preferences”.
Analysis & Planning
Our goal was to create a team-building game with scenarios tailored to client needs.
Challenges and Solutions:
Game Scenarios: How to design scenarios that address client-specific objectives?
We leveraged 15 years of experience in creating narrative-driven online games to develop scenarios that guide players to achieve desired outcomes aligned with client goals. We focused on team-building, company values actualisation, working groups cooperation, creating elements and stories of clients` brand mythology.
Participant Engagement: How to immerse participants in the game?
Using our team's expertise in psychology and business training, we crafted rules and scenarios that engage participants through role assignment, communication, and symbolic elements to create a compelling game world.
Entertainment Factor: How to make the process engaging and fun?
We designed entertaining tasks, developed a detailed game mythology, and incorporated visual and auditory elements, ensuring a cohesive and immersive game experience led by a charismatic facilitator.
Emotional Experience: How to create a lasting emotional impact?
We provided opportunities for participants to create personal metaphors and emotional associations, fostering creativity and leaving a lasting impact on their work relationships and attitudes toward the company.
Motto:
“Homo sapiens homo ludens est.” (lat.) (Homo sapiens is the one who plays.)
Visuals &
Product mythology
Naming: associated with the word "legendary" in all three company languages (Eng, Lv, Rus) and has an artificial "Latin" influence.
Logotype: created in coat of arms format according to the European medieval tradition.
The heraldic animal inspired by quirky animals from medieval sources and combined from a cat and an owl.
This is the symbol of wisdom, wealth, creativity, mystery and a good sense of humour. Predisposed to be used in different techniques, materials, styles to present the illusion of deep history of the Magic House of Legendarium and handicraft epoch.
The company mythology responds to the following principles:
- Integrity of the concept of Legendarium in all interactions, actions, and company products.
- Ability to adjust to the clients` wishes and needs.
- Inclusive user experience.
Brand mythology creating.
To keep the integrity of the concept of Legendarium I create the descriptions of the place where the Magic House is located, the inner rules and values of the Magic House, the special style of language, the way Magicians travel to the worlds of the clients were developed. Every trainer of Legendarium creates a persona of their own Magician.
According to the brand mythology, the clients can be presented as a team of heroes from different worlds and the scenario of the game - special heroic tasks - can easily be changed to respond to the clients` wishes and needs.
Client Experience creating.
Client: Company X, October 2019
Client Request: Company X is a Scandinavian company, operating in the Baltic countries, organised a team-building event for managers from Latvia and Estonia. The main goals were to introduce managers to each other, reinforce brand values and corporate culture, and build relationships between colleagues from different departments and teams.
Event Concept and Scenario: The team-building event was themed around "Legendarium," a Magic House where trainers are Magicians. According to the brand's mythology, the Legendarium's mission is to create, collect, and preserve legends for eternity. The Magicians help the client’s teams become legends by assigning them heroic tasks.
Teams could choose different roles, such as Viking superheroes, noble merchants, or fantasy warriors. The client selected 3-4 custom tasks tailored to their needs, while the remaining tasks, like introductions and closing activities, were standard and didn’t require additional discussion.
Event Preparation and Execution: Depending on the budget and client preferences, the venue could range from a medieval castle to a conference room. The space was decorated with themed accessories like a magician’s tablecloth, Legendarium flags, candles, music, wax seals, and hourglasses. Trainers wore special costumes, and participants received accessories like capes, hats, or crowns for the game. All printed materials were designed in a medieval style. After the game, participants received certificates as a reminder of their heroic achievements.
Tasks examples.
Task 1: To accomplish this heroic task, the wise and resourceful heroes are asked to create your company’s coat of arms. In the first space, draw something that represents a recent achievement. In the second space, draw something that reflects your company’s people. In the third space, draw something that represents where you see the company going in the future.
Having completed the task, the heroes will need to compose a legend or a song to explain how they performed the task, how they came to such a wise decision, and be sure to note the individual contribution of each superhero with their superpower. It is also very important not to forget to note how the three magic values of the company led them in this heroic accomplishment.
Task 2: To accomplish this heroic task, the wise and resourceful heroes are asked to name five the most important and needed words for everyone working in your company.
Having completed the task, the heroes will need to compose a legend or a song to explain how they performed the task, how they came to such a wise decision, and be sure to note the individual contribution of each superhero with their superpower. It is also very important not to forget to note how the three magic values of the company led them in this heroic accomplishment.
Our Results:
In the first month after launching the training program, we were approached for collaboration by TRIVIUMS, the leading business training agency in Latvia.
We were also invited to present our product at the Baltic Business Forum in the Innovations section.
However, due to the onset of COVID-19 in late 2019, the project, which was designed for in-person team interactions, was put on hold indefinitely.