How I designed the FACTION CRESTS for LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

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I worked for Riot Games for about 10 years, creating characters, Environments, Icons, UI, crests, and world building as a principal concept artist. In this video I share many of the thought processes and iterative work that goes into designing a faction crest for league of legends.
How I designed the FACTION CRESTS for LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
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#arttips #learntodraw #howtodraw
Games I've worked on -
CURRENTLY WORKING ON- Twilight Monk Metroidvania
Fortnite (Environment concept art)
Overwatch (Environment concept art + Sprays artwork)
League of Legends (Character design + Environment concept art, UI + Icons)
Diablo 3 (Character design + Environment concept art)
Hearthstone (Illustration)
Burning Crusade(Character design + Environment concept art)
Wrath of the Lich King (Character design + Environment concept art)
Indivisible (Environment concept art)
Final Fight Streetwise (Voice Acting + Character Design + World Design + Cutscene Direction + Co writer on script)
Ikeda: The Scrap Hunter (Programming + Art + Design)

[@Necrit]

This video is just pure nerding out and I love every moment.

[@pina6540]

Same feeling I have watching your videos hahahah

[@Navefreamo]

I mean, bro you are the reason why I played this game for 9 years non-stop. I loved the way this game looked, everything you created is literally one of the best art work in game I saw. Be proud of yourself realy !!!

[@the_journey254]

Glad I found this.

[@erasemenot]

Maaan! Please make more of these videos. It's gold to see your design iterations. We would neither find it online or in art books. I have Diablo 3 art book with some of your designs and I was geeking out looking at them. But this video soaked me in for an hour.

[@xeniszen]

Please!

[@jasonplayerify]

this is why those crests and the factions were so amazing and recognizable, it was a looot of work and talent people behind it, as always

[@pameiuioigoutu]

Game artist here, after working at a production pipeline I've certainly let go of ego and accepted that my work is just an extension of someone else's work and there'll be feedback, changes and iterations. That said, the amount of brainstorm and polishing you had to go with these would drive the calmest person nuts xDD. All that effort really shows on the crests. The designs are beautiful and unique. I've learnt a lot from this video, thank you so much for sharing!

[@TrentKaniuga]

Thank you. It was quite a learning experience, especially after coming from projects where everything was approved pretty quickly.

[@ZugZugArt]

Currently working for Riots and this video is a GOLD! Thanks for sharing the Art Wisdom! :)

[@valterink8997]

Listen to him, 2013-15 was peak league, best visuals to date

[@hoxious]

These are so damn cool, and amazing - So much character, so much language involved. Very fun. I would have the patience to do these, as long as their enough back and forth and freedom from people seeking it. I think its so impressive you had the ability to create so many variations in between so many phases & iterations. Some people don't even like talking about all of the small intricacies and the philosophy behind shape language, principles behind the decisions etc...I think establishing these kind of fundamentals in factions/crests/ lore helps and informs other designs going forward for a culture in life and in game. Thank you for taking the time to share these.

[@WarrenWintersUI]

As a UI artist the amount of quality work here blows my mind. So many solid points on process we can all learn from too. Imagine having to pick a set for the portfolio 😂. I’d have to show them all as they are so 🔥 Thanks for sharing it.

[@ANGGELAful]

The factions logos were always very fascinating to me. I've spent hours staring at them, finding the details, over many years. So imagine my surprise when I see some of my mooties on bluesky gushing about this video (that's how I found it out) Anyways, I wanted you to know we are lore fans and we have been discussing everything you said here for the past few hours lmao Amazing work

[@TrentKaniuga]

I didn’t realize this would interest anyone. I’m glad it sparked some conversation!

[@MrSupernaturalLife]

No, way. You are the one who designed them? I love the faction crests so much It is what sealed the world-building for me. I wish something as cool as them existed in real life.

[@iAmDejure]

He did a lot of the HearthStone crest and some characters too you might be interested in checking out if you like these

[@andhegames8669]

THANK YOU for sharing the nitty-gritty of the design process. So few people do, and it's really valuable.

[@sarapregel5981]

We need more video like this! This is mind-blowing! Sketching phase is my favorite, i honestly could do that forever. The more you iterate, it pushes you to do better design. I honestly had no clue you did them 😮 i wish companies can show sketches behind there games, its more valuable for future concepts artist than see only production work or any fancy promotional art.

[@StarSonicc]

Super helpful Trent, as usual! I work as a concept artist in the industry and everything you show or talk about is very accurate. Your videos helped me a lot during my junior years!! Keep it up!

[@GavinHadro]

Got so excited looking at these I’m now making a bunch for one of my own projects. Came at a perfect time too because I just got some feedback saying I needed more consistency in my design language on all levels, and I see how starting with a single symbol can inform everything related to it thereafter. Thanks for sharing!

[@Paladin_Maar]

If you have the time in the future, I'd LOVE to see more of these breakdowns. This is the juicy part about concept art I love -- iteration and including narrative into design. For some this might be madness but I really enjoy doing stuff like this. Making a design well thought out and exploring ideas that I might not have otherwise thought of. Ionia will always be my favorite faction/region.

[@lionart5230]

Subbed. Love the insight and it's really encouraging to know that my creative progress interwinds with literal legend (person who created symbols or helped making franchises I used to love like League and Warcraft, specially for their graphic design).

[@extendedlimits]

Trent, I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your videos. I've watch so many of them and each one feels like a master class. I would love to watch more videos like this, and I am so stoked that Twilight Monk is just around the corner!

[@x2433]

THIS IS INCREDIBLE and id love to see more of your work like this! very insightful and informative.

[@dialanart]

This was some amazing sharing of thoughts, loved listening to it and going in this in depth. Definitely would watch to another few hours going over all the other sketches buried in those folders!

[@puffcap_]

You managed to create literally the most recognizable and impactful artwork of the game. The entire theming of every faction we have rebounds off of these crests.

[@brandi598]

These are so cool!!! I would literally sit through a 10 hour video of you discussing this. It's really interesting. You're an incredible artist.

[@velgatheobserver]

I spread this across 4 days but yes I did finish it. Thanks a lot for the advice on factions being the soul of world building Trent. I myself have been on the edge of doing something like that, but hearing somebody else spell it out for me really opened my eyes to what it is I could do to make my world more interesting.

[@fransende]

Loved the video. The main lesson is definetly the colossal amount of patience and detachment needed to keep moving on, and creating new versions. Amazing work man!

[@nickbrummer]

Love these long form videos. It's always great to get an inside look into the artist's thought process and workflow. Really inspiring stuff. Time to DRAW!!!

[@dreflox]

That was really interesting Trent! Obviously doing this kinda design work for this long and going this deep into the teeny tiny details sounds really daunting (especially since I've never actually worked in any game studio) but it's interesting to see your process and all the things to think about when doing these. I'm impressed at how you can just create shapes and detail like that. I already struggle doing one iteration when I'm designing stuff for school or myself hahah, but I hope I'll have the skills one day to design stuff even 1% as good as your designs

[@zack_feldman]

Very fun, thanks! I am working on writing my second book, and just started a worldbuilding sketchbook to play with the aesthetics of things as I chug along through the world. I loved creating crests and such back in the day (graphic designer background), so this was a nice reminder of that. Sat down and started just playing with crests and faction symbols while I listened. Thanks!

[@enzo.cz.7]

This is a masterclass that could be sold for a lot of money. I am infinitely grateful for having shared this with us. The video was spectacular and what can I say about your work, wonderful. Many, many thanks!!

[@Iddstar]

I for one would absolutely love to see more deep dive videos like this into your work, digging into and discussing the process without much need for editing. Would love to see this kind of content for your current game as well as some of the other various properties you've designed for

[@wirogalos3377]

This is amazing, thank you; I have been working on the crests of my comic universe, the individual characters, the tribes, larger organized kingdoms and the few empires that exist as well

[@jaraxuss_yeah]

Its so fucking cool content man. I were a huge fan of lol art and, honestly, those designs and worldbuilding inspired me to start an art journey, and its so cool to listen how someone actually worked on this. You are truly inspiring)

[@rf21able]

i love the little details you dive into on how the industry works, or what it looks like to work in the industry. Or even just what the work load for one day might be. So good!

[@VimTheRed]

A bit late on the comment, but I wanted to let you know how great this video is for non-artists interested in collaborating with artists on games. I believe this will help me communicate better, resulting in a better experience and a better game!

[@Ren-jo5gc]

This is so awesome to see, i love watching the work of prop and UI artists. I like drawing props myself. Awesome work on the crests, to you and the rest of the team.

[@LANMEE2]

This was an amazing video honestly! To answer your question, me personally would never have the patience and joy in going through that process. I would love to see more of the workflow behind the scene, like working on the character concepts, or cards. I loved the process of making hearthstone cards videos.

[@fabiofrederico4352]

This video helped me realize that taking things slow can be helpful if you have the right process. One of the most informative video's I've seen. I good luck with twilight monk I hope it ends up being better than you could of ever initially imagined. God Bless. 🙏

[@AshirGondal-j9o]

GEEEZ, incredible Video! Really puts into perspective how much work goes into this kind of stuff Kent. You being transparent with the process, especially the time and fact you handed off stuff to assistants brings the process back down to earth, shining a light on the reality of the processp; making it more manageable for those studying to work towards this without setting unrealistic expectations :D Thank you!

[@CazReeves]

Super awesome stuff to see, shifting a bit of my mentality. I don't think I could redo then that much yet, but it's a benchmark. Just building that patience is important. Beautiful stuff man, thanks for the vid 🔥

[@hemig2869]

This was great to listen to and look up at while designing some characters. Thanks Trent, very much appreciated ❤ Always incredible to hear from an industry vet. Gave me so many things to think about and consider while designing

[@zamisam1915]

Awesome stuff, Trent! It's hard to comprehend how much work has gone into those crests. It was a very informative and motivating video. Thank you for sharing your process.

[@jettiz3703]

Oh my god, you're the one who designed these? That is so cool mate! I loved how Shurima and Targon ended up! Thanks for making each factions feel unique and special.

[@Atlantyc]

Thank you for sharing this, there are a handful of things I never considered before and I got some good notes from this. I loved the term Culture Kit describing these it was the exact phrase/ term to really help me keep this in my mind! I personally would love to see more of these videos they are very satisfying and have a lot of lovely information. Such amazing work!

[@lotusnevermore2279]

I found this video very interesting and informative. I'd love to see more like it. It's really cool to see the iterations and the thought processes behind them.

[@bluestrawberry1225]

that was beautifully informative and I would like see more of your art experiences showcase them and explain along the way

[@savitrizuzanka1312]

Listening to you while working on OC using your brushes and symetry 🍸 blessed

[@DukePaints]

I would love to see the kind of inspiration boards you guys had, I struggle to find relevant or good reference and getting an understanding of how you build good moodboards would be incredible

[@delta9999able]

The design phase of artworks like this is fascinating on some level even though its unseen by most people.

[@ivancalitzcrockart3300]

This is such an incredibly valuable video for the processes and philosophy behind concept art. It's really fascinating seeing/hearing about the iterations and reasoning for each. I'm not sure I would have the patience for such a process yet, as I know my skills would hinder me - but if I had the skill I'd absolutely love to do crest/symbol design of such an intricate nature! Thanks again for sharing this with us! You continue to inform and impress.🤟

[@jonhopkinsart]

Thanks for another amazing video Trent! Loving this long form format. This is packed with so much great information 🔥🔥

[@AstroNut88]

Dang to know Trent designed these icons/insignias is so amazing. These are my favorite league Icons and collected most of them during my time playing the game.

[@Niszczonatorek]

Damn, I always admired those crests, but never knew that one of my favorite artist made them. Good job! Would love to see the render process or how to do.

[@r.j.slagter3112]

Awe-some video! Thanks Trent for showing some behind the scenes work at Riot. I would love to see more of this type of work 🎉

[@SkyrimSon]

I LOVE this video! Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us Trent

[@tomarts774]

Amazing video. I'm also so releived to hear just how much work and resources went into designing these. I often have to design crests for fictional countries, but I usually get like 30min to do so. Yet in my head I compare my work to what I see in media, which can be really disheartening. Also I appreciate the tips and thought process you shared on what goes into making these crests. I hope I can use them and do a better job : )

[@PangorTheBarkeep]

thank you for recording this trent, its great insight to something i have looked at a lot in the past- and putting it on while rendering some work was a great way to spend the time!:)

[@mith_games]

I never have played LoL but I love this kind of content and design in general!! Thank you for this, I would love to see more of this process stuff!!

[@valorbot5209]

Thank you so much for doing this long-form, unedited deep dive into your work. I’ve loved the faction League crests ever since they came out, with Demacia being my favorite especially. The time, effort, and attention to details like color ratios, materials, and shape language 100% paid off. There is a noticeable level of quality and care that went into these that the Warcraft ones don’t have (even though they too look awesome). They feel so thematic, polished and emblematic of their respective regions. Keep creating and I wish you all the success with your studio.

[@valorbot5209]

Also, you designed the EXODAR in Burning Crusade?!? You, sir, are my hero.

[@kenzokiseki]

Thanks for sharing ultra-paid-content for free! This is insane! Again thank you so much from the depths of my heart.

[@Paul-ys6xj]

love this video Trent, and would love to see more especially around world building design. Creative vision for IP, design docks (Art bible for project) especially from you becouse you crated amazing worlds!

[@anthonyrusso7266]

Rad video! This is like Art Center, RISD level of education in design, very cool. And as far as iterations go, I'm a lighting/comp artist working in feature film animation and yeah I've worked on version 305 of files before. In the words of Lino Disalvo "address the note".

[@Bruh-ru1oh]

All of these look so awesome! I wish these had a physical form, like a badge or something of the like!

[@AL-vv1hc]

Awesome! I would also be interested in seeing a start-to-finish PS process tutorial video on some of these crests.

[@gotadrop]

I loved this vido. amazing insight into the world and the concept behind. hope to see more of this! amazing work

[@Ayjrin]

This is sick! I’ve always loved these crests. They each really captured the vibe of each location. Not an artist, but even I could get some symbolism in some.

[@KSMetamorph]

Very iconic logos for the regions, PEAK work

[@alik2897]

I really enjoyed this video! I want to be a concept artist so this behind the scenes i formations are a gem for me! thanks!

[@ZameerSketchArt783]

"Stunning work, Trent! Your designs brought Noxus to life! Huge fan of your art⚔️🏆🔥💥”

[@captainblagg]

This is my favorite stuff 😍. Such a fan of your workshops

[@Eepistoo]

Daym, you are wizard with art. Your lighting and color balance makes me very jealous. I know this is all about shapes, but im just locked in on colors of yours, dunno how to reach that level.

[@Eepistoo]

Well, you open up some topics of the colors where, how much and why you want to use them. New perspectives for me to think about. Thanks :)

[@BramvH792]

This was super interesting! Thanks Trent! Even as a 3d artist / designer you can learn a lot from this :D

[@Simplywizard]

I'm glad I found this not using it for a game but for my actual family crest the process is a bit different but i'd like to give it some flair especially since i have to fuse a few different crests together. I don't like the whole squaring all the family into one shield.

[@cubh2]

I don’t think I would have the tenacity to work for months on these 😅 But the designs and aestethic you developped for these crests definitely set an example for what to shoot for, even for simpler things as an indie, you’re a gold mine of inspiration as always

[@llamagangstar8760]

loved the video and ive played league for a long time and its always cool to see more of your work that went into the game. im definetily going to try out this months challenge.

[@oharasvna]

Thanks for the video Trent this was enlightning. My God... 4 years designing/drawing crests that almost like identical. Now i get it why most of the artist recommend doing personal drawing/project on the side. Even when this is paid, this kinda thing can drove some artist mad.

[@juanbenmon]

uffff. super useful anda was 10 years aga, Can´t wait to see which projects you are working now

[@TrentKaniuga]

Just working on Twilight Monk. It will be out in february.

[@wexit_wes]

Trent, thank you for this video, I'm still an upcoming artist, I would really aporeciate it if you mad a video on " HOW TO MANAGE EMOTIONS" while working for and with game companies

[@iAmDejure]

Greeeeaaaat video. A good look inside the not so visible part of game or concept design. All in all this is fun in my opinion, especially when you have financial stability behind you. You can basically focus with no worry and have all your attention on delivering the best work of the demand. 👍🏾 Much success to you and the Twilight Monk game, series and franchise. If your ever looking to add another member from California to the team I'm available (shameless self plug, in my Trent voice)😏. Great video

[@dado8467]

Nice video, no, nice lesson! As an aspiring artist, this is a big insight in the inner mechanisms of the game industry and of the process of concept design

[@neophrem2408]

Very interesting video and I hope you can do a part two with the remaining LoL crests! I definitely would not have the patience to work that long on a single design with sometimes miniscule changes between the different iterations. It would certainly drive me mad.

[@joeangelomeriano1432]

I absolutely loved this video! Please make more like this!!!

[@mastaflex30]

Ofc i'm an "ace" (if i understood well (english not my native language)) cause your video was super interesting from start to end. Excellent designs and choices. As a modeler, you don't even know how much i would like to model dozen of them ! lol. Thanks for the video.

[@nekokna]

As a graphic designer that also works with indies doing all 2d stuff this was incredibly cool to learn about.i even use spine!( primary,nowadays)

[@Arthis_]

Probably one of the coolest design videos I’ve seen in a while-awesome insight you are probably one of the reasons I liked league so much - every penny was well spent by them. Btw @necrit watch this video!

[@sephire25]

That sound like a lot of fun actually! Exhausting definitely but fun. I love ideation so if i was getting paid to do it i'd have the time of my life. If I had the money i would spend a lot more time finalizing more of my projects and exploring more ideas like this.

[@GhostCry100]

This is CONTENT ! hell yeah I can learn so much from this whole process!

[@Uta-gz7jm]

Amazing video dude, I learn so much from this one and tbh I never Imagine I'll find something like this on KZbin and damn, Riot really burn money back in the day frfr, no wonder why their game still have tons of player

[@anastasia_852]

I don't even play League however will I watch a one hour commentary video about it's designing process? Yes.

[@ro9ue]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Awesome stuff.

[@lunarfifthstudios]

Ohh babayy Bazzzongaa WOowwzzaaa Yeahhhhhhhhh Main Man comes through again!! ❤🙏🙏🙏❤️ 🤙🎨🖌💪🫠

[@YigitCakar]

This is a masterclass! I love it! Thanks for the video.

[@cocamaster0]

This is super cool!

[@edenchisnall1694]

Awesome video Trent. I might try doing some crest designs :)

[@dwintster]

Great video, this is essentially what you do in industrial design. If you are working at ford, chances are unless you are the lead designer you are designing a million variations of the next head light, center console, rims. Or maybe you are at dewalt you are designing a thousand variations of the pistol grip for the next drill. At epson you are going to spend 2 years developing the next printer. The fact of the matter is that design by nature is an iterative process. It can be a little frustrating at times, but it's still a lot of fun.

[@dwintster]

Working as an industrial designer, I have spent a year designing variations for a single product. So I believe I have the patience for it. I'm in the process of building a portfolio for games and animation. I have a character design portfolio I developed for animation, but O hasn't had much luck with it as yet. There are probably aspects of it that need to be improved. If you have time, I would love some feedback.

[@paradoxvuim8562]

Ty for your great work 💯👍

[@space.tel-e-grams]

This is great! It's logo design but fun. This is the kind of stuff I'd actually want to do.

[@te9591]

Enjoyed your opening music choice.

[@Fxnarji]

Id love to see a similar video like this about the stuff you did on Overwatch! ^^

[@Artdaucity]

Art gramps is coming in clutch once again

[@matthewmiller7887]

this video was very informative. thanks, trent!

[@Arturo_Sketch]

I think this is complete madness, but maybe its all about having the mental energy and having like those mind connectios built to just iterate and make new ideas, so for the time being, I don't think I got the mental strenght for so much iterations, but hopefully with more knowledge and skill more iterative process comes into my way, thanks! This video is such a resource to study, Maybe I'll design some crets for my portfolio sounds like a goos job to do!

[@mar_ko5930]

Thank you for the video! It was very interesting .