Mojang Studios, the Swedish video game developer behind Minecraft, introduced its current visual identity on May 17, 2020, to mark the game’s 11th anniversary. The rebrand changed the company name from Mojang to Mojang Studios and replaced the long-standing wordmark with a new modular logo built around a collection of small, gadget-like characters called “the Mojangs.”[1]
Design and History
Before the 2020 rebrand, Mojang’s logo featured a wordmark accompanied by an emblem that company staff affectionately described as a “dragon/apple/candle/sewing machine.”[1] The company announced it had grown from its Stockholm origins into a multi-title, multi-location organization, which inspired the new name Mojang Studios.[1]
The new identity was created by the Swedish brand and design agency Bold (Bold NoA), working in collaboration with Mojang Studios’ internal brand team.[2] The project was led by creative directors Oskar Lübeck and Oliver Helfrich, with design directors Michael Laning, Yun Yu, and Eva Aggerborg, and senior designer Carl-Johan Nordin, among others at Bold NoA.[2] On the client side, Mojang Studios’ creative director Markus Toivonen and art director Wiktor Persson were credited on the project.[2]
According to Mojang Studios’ head of creative communications, Thomas Wiborgh, the company deliberately chose not to explain exactly what the new logo depicts or means, stating that interpretation was left to the audience, just as with Minecraft itself.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The company name Mojang roughly translates to “gadget” in old-fashioned Swedish, and the new identity builds directly on that meaning.[1] The logo is described as “modular” and incorporates small gizmos called the Mojangs, which the company characterizes as “mysterious little gizmos” that are “powered by play,” test and tinker, and endlessly explore.[1]
Bold NoA’s award entry describes the Mojangs as six graphic shapes that reflect the playful nature of Mojang Studios, serving as “symbols of crafting and inventing, of collaboration and unbridled curiosity.”[2] The identity was built around the concept of “The Power of Play,” which Bold identified as central to Mojang Studios’ purpose.[3]
Typography and Design
The Mojang Studios identity extends beyond the logo into a full design system. Bold NoA described the system as built around the Mojangs, which appear in various forms, from small glyphs within the typeface to oversized illustrations and animated 3D objects.[2] The identity also includes custom sound and music design, creating an immersive experience across platforms.[2]
Bold’s work on the broader Minecraft franchise identity, which followed the Mojang Studios rebrand, was built around a pixel grid based on the same 16×16 resolution as the game itself.[4] The Mojang Studios identity won first place in the Swedish design publication Resumé’s “Månadens design” (Design of the Month) competition in March 2021.[3]
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