Big Fish Games is a Seattle-based casual gaming company founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen, serving as both a developer and distributor of games for computers and mobile devices.[1] The company’s current visual identity was developed by the Seattle branding agency 51 Eggs, which positioned Big Fish not as a traditional game company but as a forward-looking entertainment company adaptable to future mediums and platforms.[2]
Design and History
The current Big Fish wordmark, filed as a trademark in July 2018, consists of the words “BIG FISH” with the letters “I” and “G” forming a fish shape. The mark uses a gradient from light blue at the top and center of the wording to darker blue at the bottom, beginning, and end of the wording, with light and dark blue claimed as features of the mark.[3] A related trademark registration describes the same design with the word “BIG” on top of the word “FISH,” in blue, with the letters “I” and “G” forming a fish shape.[4]
Earlier iterations of the Big Fish identity took different approaches. A 2008 trademark registration describes a mark consisting of the words “BIG FISH GAMES” with a stylized letter “S” in the design of a fish, accompanied by a design of an earth globe.[5] A separate 2009 registration covers a design of a fish alone, indicating that the fish motif has been a recurring element across the brand’s visual history.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
51 Eggs named the fish character “Felix” and moved it from a static element of the Big Fish logo to an integral part of the brand’s kinetic identity. The agency’s creative direction was driven by the name itself: because the company is called Big Fish, Felix had to be enormous, and the entirety of his character is never seen all at once. Using Felix this way transforms the brand’s blue color field into an immersive environment, as if the viewer were peering through a window deep below the water’s surface.[2]
The rebrand also introduced the tagline “Play Inspired,” conceived as both an aspirational call-to-action and a confident statement of intention. Its rendering and presentation can take any form, serving as an opportunity to bring depth and color to the brand’s personality.[2]
Typography and Design
51 Eggs developed a comprehensive brand manual for Big Fish’s 600-plus employees, covering graphic standards and best practices while establishing the core values, mission, position, voice, and sensibility of the brand. The agency also facilitated the brand’s adoption through company-wide workshops and education.[2] Brand asset databases list the primary blue used in the identity as hex code #005391, alongside a lighter cyan tone.[7]
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