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AI has a branding problem in gaming. Most AI products look like software tools - geometric, technical and emotionally flat - designed more for dashboards than for players.
AI has a branding problem in gaming. Most AI products look like software tools - geometric, technical and emotionally flat - designed more for dashboards than for players.
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MySidekick needed to break away from the visual language of traditional AI and become something far more human, playful and emotionally expressive. The goal was to create a brand that could feel alive inside games, connect with players on screen and in culture, and still carry the flexibility needed to move across platforms, devices and gaming ecosystems.
MySidekick needed to break away from the visual language of traditional AI and become something far more human, playful and emotionally expressive. The goal was to create a brand that could feel alive inside games, connect with players on screen and in culture, and still carry the flexibility needed to move across platforms, devices and gaming ecosystems.
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The logo system was constructed with enough flexibility to move between character expression, static identity and animated behaviour, allowing the mark to function as both a recognisable symbol and a personality-driven visual asset across different gaming contexts.
The logo system was constructed with enough flexibility to move between character expression, static identity and animated behaviour, allowing the mark to function as both a recognisable symbol and a personality-driven visual asset across different gaming contexts.
The identity paired a bold digital type system with bright, screen-native colours to create a visual language that felt playful, legible and instantly recognisable - designed to perform across game interfaces, social content, merchandise and fast-moving digital environments.
The identity paired a bold digital type system with bright, screen-native colours to create a visual language that felt playful, legible and instantly recognisable - designed to perform across game interfaces, social content, merchandise and fast-moving digital environments.
AI has a branding problem in gaming. Most AI products look like software tools - geometric, technical and emotionally flat - designed more for dashboards than for players.
The SideKick identity was designed to thrive across launch campaigns, social content and digital storytelling, using bold motion-ready visuals, playful messaging and screen-native brand assets to make the AI companion feel culturally visible, shareable and instantly engaging to gaming audiences.
The SideKick identity was designed to thrive across launch campaigns, social content and digital storytelling, using bold motion-ready visuals, playful messaging and screen-native brand assets to make the AI companion feel culturally visible, shareable and instantly engaging to gaming audiences.
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At the heart of SideKick is a dynamic visual character designed to shift across motion, expression and application, giving the brand a living identity that could feel playful on screen, expressive in animation and instantly recognisable across physical and digital touchpoints.
At the heart of SideKick is a dynamic visual character designed to shift across motion, expression and application, giving the brand a living identity that could feel playful on screen, expressive in animation and instantly recognisable across physical and digital touchpoints.
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The SideKick identity extended naturally into apparel and wearable applications, creating a playful physical presence that made the brand feel less like software and more like a character players could wear, recognise and connect with beyond the screen.
The SideKick identity extended naturally into apparel and wearable applications, creating a playful physical presence that made the brand feel less like software and more like a character players could wear, recognise and connect with beyond the screen.
From posters and campaign assets to wearable tech and player-facing applications, the SideKick identity was designed to move beyond product branding and become a visible, playful presence that players could engage with, recognise and connect with across everyday gaming culture.
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SideKick was designed to feel like a gaming brand players could live with beyond the product itself, extending into everyday objects, apparel and lifestyle touchpoints that made the AI companion feel more personal, playful and naturally embedded in gaming culture.
SideKick was designed to feel like a gaming brand players could live with beyond the product itself, extending into everyday objects, apparel and lifestyle touchpoints that made the AI companion feel more personal, playful and naturally embedded in gaming culture.
From digital touchpoints to large-format campaign applications, the SideKick identity was designed to scale confidently across launch environments, promotional surfaces and public-facing moments, reinforcing a brand that felt energetic, playful and instantly recognisable wherever it showed up.
From digital touchpoints to large-format campaign applications, the SideKick identity was designed to scale confidently across launch environments, promotional surfaces and public-facing moments, reinforcing a brand that felt energetic, playful and instantly recognisable wherever it showed up.
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MySidekick needed to break away from the visual language of traditional AI and become something far more human, playful and emotionally expressive. The goal was to create a brand that could feel alive inside games, connect with players on screen and in culture, and still carry the flexibility needed to move across platforms, devices and gaming ecosystems.
MySidekick needed to break away from the visual language of traditional AI and become something far more human, playful and emotionally expressive. The goal was to create a brand that could feel alive inside games, connect with players on screen and in culture, and still carry the flexibility needed to move across platforms, devices and gaming ecosystems.
At its core, SideKick was designed around personality - creating a brand that could feel expressive, emotional and character-driven, giving the AI companion a visual identity that felt less like software and more like a playful presence players could relate to, recognise and genuinely connect with.
At its core, SideKick was designed around personality - creating a brand that could feel expressive, emotional and character-driven, giving the AI companion a visual identity that felt less like software and more like a playful presence players could relate to, recognise and genuinely connect with.
Whether through conversational product interfaces, wearable merchandise or playful character-led applications, the SideKick identity was designed to make the AI companion feel present across every interaction - reinforcing a brand that could communicate, assist and show up as a true Player 2 both on screen and beyond it.
Whether through conversational product interfaces, wearable merchandise or playful character-led applications, the SideKick identity was designed to make the AI companion feel present across every interaction - reinforcing a brand that could communicate, assist and show up as a true Player 2 both on screen and beyond it.
What began as a visual identity project became the public-facing personality for Saltwater Labs’ flagship AI gaming product - giving MySidekick a brand system designed to feel expressive, culturally visible and instantly ownable in a category where most AI products still look like tools. By building the identity around character, motion and emotional adaptability, the work helped position SideKick as more than software infrastructure, turning it into something players could recognise, connect with and imagine as an actual companion inside the gaming experience.
By extending the identity across product interfaces, campaign systems, merchandise, in-game applications and real-world brand touchpoints, MySidekick launched with a clearer personality, stronger visual distinction and a more scalable ecosystem for player-facing growth. The result was a gaming-native AI brand built to speak fluently to players, studios and platforms alike - helping Saltwater Labs introduce its first major AI product through a system designed not just to function, but to play.
What began as a visual identity project became the public-facing personality for Saltwater Labs’ flagship AI gaming product - giving MySidekick a brand system designed to feel expressive, culturally visible and instantly ownable in a category where most AI products still look like tools. By building the identity around character, motion and emotional adaptability, the work helped position SideKick as more than software infrastructure, turning it into something players could recognise, connect with and imagine as an actual companion inside the gaming experience.
By extending the identity across product interfaces, campaign systems, merchandise, in-game applications and real-world brand touchpoints, MySidekick launched with a clearer personality, stronger visual distinction and a more scalable ecosystem for player-facing growth. The result was a gaming-native AI brand built to speak fluently to players, studios and platforms alike - helping Saltwater Labs introduce its first major AI product through a system designed not just to function, but to play.
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These shifts translated into measurable improvements:
$5.5M
$5.5M
Seed funding raised
3+
3+
Strategic backers
2024
2024
Launch year
Global
Global
Platform ambition
