Room 8 Studio decided to create a new website.
We came on board after the design was already done. Even though this wasn't our usual content-first approach — where we let the content shape the design — we chose to help Room 8 Studio stand out anyway.
Here is how we did it.
From self-centered to client-centered communication
Since Room 8 Studio had their website design ready before they started working with Zmist & Copy, the copy was carried over from the previous version. We noticed a few flaws in it. The biggest issue was that the company’s communication was entirely self-focused. They talked about their work, experience, and team, but didn't mention how their services benefit clients. Self-centered communication doesn't resonate with clients. Clients are more interested in how you can improve their lives, not how wonderful your brand is.
We changed self-centered messages to customer-centered. Here are a few examples of before and after.
UI/UX design
Before
Room 8 Studio’s dedicated art team creates UI interfaces and icons that help players navigate and accomplish goals with a focus on the player’s experience of enjoyment and entertainment. In the past years, we’ve gathered vast experience on how to help make a game worth playing and how to deliver perfect UI/UX and icons at scale for our partners.
After
Make the UI/UX of your game feel natural so your users don’t even notice it. We translate the game designers’ vision into a fun and intuitive player experience.
Animation & VFX
Before
Realistic motions of creatures, vehicles, environments, props, and hard surface objects for a wide range of game genres and settings. Turnkey service with rigging, skinning, laying out, blocking, and animation all done within one team.
After
Bring your game to life with animations and visual effects that keep players engrossed in a gameplay. We animate fantasy creatures, human characters, vehicles, environments, props, and even hard surface objects.
The easiest way to shift attention to the client is to begin each paragraph with a verb.
Relevant “why choose us” for each service
When we received the new website design, we noticed that the structure of the service pages was very similar. Each page included a block with subservices, examples of work, and an "Our strengths" section that answered the question "Why us?" While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this template-like approach, the "Our strengths" section on each page can't say the same thing.
After thoroughly studying the specifics of each service, we focused on the “Our Strengths” section and developed tailored messages for each page. These messages highlight the company’s knowledge, experience, and values in a way that's relevant to each specific service.
For instance, do you know that diversity and inclusion are among the hottest topics in the gaming industry? Nearly 79% of modern game characters are male, and almost 54% are white. Top-level companies in the gaming industry are fighting these statistics successfully, giving preference to diversity and inclusion. They need to know that their potential partners share their values.
For the 3D characters page, we added diversity and inclusion not only to show that Room 8 Studio has experience in creating characters with lots of personalities, ethnicity, and appearance, but also to convey their values.
While working on the UI/UX design page, we asked ourselves “What drives a designer while creating a game interface?” And we found the answer: a UI/UX designer has to achieve two goals: let players understand the game (usability) and get excited about it (game feel). This insight comes from a video in which Celia Hodent, Ex-Director of UX for Epic Games, shares details about creating the interface for Fortnite.
We applied this insight through two key principles: usability and game feel, which form Room 8 Studio's UI/UX design approach.
In an engaging 3D environment, everything looks as if it belongs to this world and the world had existed long before a gamer’s foot stepped into it. To achieve immersion, game artists follow the context and consistency principles. We added this principle to the 3D Environment page, highlighting the company’s ability to create an engaging gaming environment.
Details that visualize content
The copy from the old Room 8 Studio website had another major issue: it felt “lifeless.” Passive voice, vague generalizations, clichés, and industry jargon made it hard to create the kind of engaging, trustworthy, and emotional connection we were aiming for.
To make the messages more impactful, emotional, and lively, we used visual copywriting. This approach uses vivid, descriptive language to tell a story and engage the audience. By painting a clear picture with words, visual copywriting helps your audience visualize the content and remember your brand.
Here are a few examples of before and after:
3D environment
Before
We can help with the high-grade content for your racing project! From AAA 3D models designed and polished to correspond to the original car models, to related environment assets that perfectly match the game style.
After
From Formula to GT and more, we create digital replicas of the greatest cars designed and polished to correspond to the game style. We work closely with the programming and game design teams to ensure optimal use of polygons, shaders, and textures
Instead of saying "original car models," let's just name them!
Source: GevShop
UI/UX design
Before
Motion design helps create a pleasant and intuitive experience while guiding the user through the digital product and conveying a narrative. These animations carefully sync to the user’s needs to improve their interactions.
After
A pulsing button, a moving backdrop, a rolling bar, a flickering vignette — by adding a tiny bit of animation to a screen, we make a game look more appealing. With our excellent understanding of cinematography and visual storytelling, we build UX motion behaviors that orient, teach, and guide the player experience.
Pulsing button, moving backdrop, rolling bar, and flickering vignette are the words that involve motion — these are sensory words. They add “life” to your copy.
Animation & VFX
Before
Room 8 Studio creates amazing 3D animation and visual effects for a wide range of verticals and product categories. It’s a turnkey service with rigging, skinning, laying out, blocking and final animation all done within one team.
After
Jump, fall, walk, dance, disappear, reappear, zig-zag, spin, explode — our professional motion artists create 3D animations that make a character move naturally. We produce realistic animations by adhering to the laws of physics and Disney’s 12 principles of animation.
And here is movement again! It’s animation we are talking about. By the way, you can check out 12 animation principles from Disney here.
Concept art & 2D
Before
We ask our clients to give us a rough description of what they expect to see in the project, and we use our extensive creative resources to make it happen. It takes a bit of trust from our client’s end, but we always exceed expectations. Let us make your game a reality!
After
A script, an outline, or a verbal pitch — no matter how you deliver your requirements, we turn them into visuals that meet your expectations.
“Approximate requirement description” is a very vague concept. If we add well-defined examples of what we mean — a script, an outline, or a verbal pitch — it will make our communication clearer.
Messages focused on the client’s results
For the Games page, which promotes game development services, we shifted the focus to the outcomes clients can expect from working with Room 8 Studio. Create a game that didn’t exist before, reach a wider audience of players, and meet new challenges without team burnout. To all these promises we added about how Room 8 Studio is going to keep them. For example, the company's years of experience in game development boost the chances of success for new projects. They can also port a game to any platform to reach a broader audience. Plus, with over 800 game development experts on their team, they can tackle new challenges without stretching resources thin.
Three key messages focused on results end with an outcome that solves the main client's problem, which is “Keep up with the pressure to release fresh content consistently.” It is the need to constantly release new gaming content amid the growing demand that pushes game companies to search for development partners.
Result
Zmist & Copy's work on Room 8 Studio website lasted nearly two months. Along with it, we developed a content strategy and helped other brands within Room 8 Group create separate websites, write case studies, and create content strategies.
Room 8 Studio released their new website in July 2022.
One more thing
There is one more interesting detail on Room 8 Studio website their team came up with. If you visit their home page and try to copy the tagline “We’re smart with art” to your Google Doc, you will see two extra words invisible otherwise:
On the website:
In your Google Doc:
WE’RE SMART
AND CRAZY WITH ART
The tagline about smart and crazy conveys the brand mood and fits the design. We are fully supporting this creative decision!
