This was a freelance project where I was to create a branding identity as well as channel avatar & banner art for a video game oriented YouTube Channel called Digital Retro Gaming. He wanted the channel to be a widespread video game channel reaching across many genres and time periods of games. 

I created this logo by taking the D and R of Digital Retro and using them to create a monogram that also resembles a console controller & PC mouse. This was intended to create unity between different forms of video games and communities while also making it very clear that this is a video game focused channel.

I used a font that is very angular but soft to emphasis the curves and edges in the logo while also allowing to to maintain a digital/pixel/retro style to the overall logo. 

The colour green was chosen for a variety of reasons. At first I had chosen green because my client had told me he really liked the looks of old DOS and Gameboy screens, the green and dark grey ones. Hence my inspiration for the colour of the logo. Later I had come to realize that the green not only brought old technology to mind, it could also be a symbol of the new, clean digital age where technology keeps getting more sophisticated. 

After considering all the other possible colour choices possible for the logo, me and my client agreed that the digital green and very dark grey was the strongest option. 

These are my final logos:

I then took the colour versions of the logo and created a subtle pixel background for the avatar of the channel. I decided to create both a black and white version for the client's own flexibility. 

For the channel banner, my client really liked an idea he had to have it be like a pixely space nebula, as he is a big fan of space but wanted to keep everything with a pixel theme. He also really liked his pixel sunglasses he had and wanted me to play with that idea as well. I created some sketches to explore the different options and my client ended up really liking the space scene I had created and we decided to go in that direction.

However before bringing it to the next stage we both agreed to simplify the image and remove elements that distracted from the overall appeal.

This is what the final banner looks like at desktop size. I created planets in Illustrator and then used techniques in photoshop to create their pixelized appearance. I used various stock images and textures, as well as many photoshop effects, adjustments and techniques to create the final composition. 

This is the full image and what the banner would look like at full size on an HD tv. This view is probably used very rarely as most people watch youtube on PC, mobile or console apps. For this reason I focused my attention on mainly the center of the image and what would be seen on mobile, console and desktops.