This story is a tiny bit embarrassing, but it turned out great so I have no issues sharing it!
The Mega 10 Keno progressive is a program run throughout the valley at different casino Keno rooms. This product has been offered by Stations for over a decade now, with the same logo used as other casinos not owned by Stations. This product operates similarly to a lottery, with the reward for getting 10 keno number matches rising to insane levels. At the time of designing this, the amount had reached over $4.2 million!
Each property had advertised this program at one point or another, but the branding didn’t feel unified. The look varied from property to property, with only the logo and message remaining constant. I think this may be why not all the guests were familiar with the program, and why the executives decided to breathe some new life into it.
In 2024, I was presented with the opportunity to rebrand this product, something I was fairly excited for. After analysing the market, other similar successful products, and working through different concepts and colors I developed 3 solid options for the product rebrand, each attempting to invoke different new feelings related to this program.
Option 1 – The Fun
This design was meant to bring in some fun more cartoony elements to the brand. The diamond icon resting inside the 10’s “0” added to the feeling that any moment now you could be the next millionaire. I chose reds for the “Mega” and “Keno” text to highlight the keno relation and a lighter blue for the 10 to break up the color harmony. The whole thing was surrounded by a deep purple to help it stand out on any background the logo may sit, as I understood there was a possibility this program may be cross promoted at some point and I wanted to ensure it wouldn’t get lost.
Option 2 – The Classy
This logo focused more on the high cash out pull for this product. I used greens and cash illustrations to draw that connection, with yellows to act as contrast to draw the viewer’s eye to the 10. The font used was meant to convey a more serious feeling, while still allowing for a more whimsical feel with the illustrated cash flying around.
Option 3 – The Upgrade
For this one, I cut the difference between the two. I pulled in some fun cartoonish feelings from the first option, while using a thinner sans serif font to keep it modern and slightly more serious. I pulled a similar color scheme from the original logo, utilizing deep reds and bright yellows.
Ok, so here is where it gets a little embarrassing.
After creating these options, as well as sample posters to show how each brand would be implemented, I sent off the art to the project’s account manager to review before the big wigs that make the decisions could start picking it apart. That’s when I found out there had been a little bit of a miscommunication on the design brief I was originally provided for the project. Apparently, the account manager was expecting refreshed poster art using the original branding, not fully redesigning the brand! (In my defense, the brief directed us to “rebrand” the artwork, not rework the poster artwork, but hey, ya live and ya learn) They were concerned that, since a different company manages the details of this promotion, the parent company wouldn’t feel comfortable fully rebranding the product.
Considering all that, they still loved my options and wanted to present them anyway with the understanding there may be a possibility we’d have to revert to the original branding.
Option 4 – The Original
I went back to my mental workshop and whipped up a fourth option using the existing branding, just in case they decided that was the direction they wanted to go in. For these options, I attempted to highlight the existing brand elements, and pull as much focus as possible to the logo and $4 million chance. Two options utilize branding colors for the background, while the third lets it breathe a little more by using a white background and Station Casinos red elements to pull in the association to our company.
Luck had it that they were actually completely comfortable rebranding, and welcomed the new looks!
In the end, option 3 won out, with its modern and clean feel. Now, this brand has blown up, taking over all the properties with its bright, eye-catching colors and unified look. It’s done its job, as well, drawing guests to the keno lounge for an old promotion made brand new.
This project taught me that even misunderstandings can turn into successful projects.
