The Nine

The enigmatic entities known as the Nine have been lurking in the corners of the Destiny universe since Xur's first visit to the Tower. The Rite of the Nine event began removing the curtain of mystery and the events of The Edge of Fate and Renegades further clarified the nature of the Nine, revealed to be sentient beings composed of Dark Matter and bound to the celestial bodies of the Solar System. I was tapped to create a brand identity for the Rite of the Nine event and this presented an opportunity to solidify the look and feel of the Nine as a faction in anticipation of their larger role in the Destiny 2 narrative.

Rite of the Nine event icon and symbols of the the Nine Gods.

The primary icon for the Rite of the Nine event portrays a sylization of the Third Spire, a returning location from the early days of Destiny 2 and the primary hub for this new event. The Third Spire is a surreal monolith in which an Emissary of the Nine resides. To create the icon I looked back to the few previously established visual touchpoints for the Nine and carried forward a focus on delicate, linear geometry in distressed pale gold.

After discussion with the Destiny 2 Narrative Team it became clear that this event presented an opportunity to flesh out the Nine as individual entities rather than simply a monolith collective. To that end I developed a sigil for each of the Nine in the same 'arcane geometry' style as the Rite event logo. The visual system for these sigils was inspired by the narrative of the Nine Gods. Split into factions between the Inner Orbits (I, II, III, and IV) and Outer Orbits (V, VI, VII, and VIII), the visual system employs a half circle container which faces either upward or downward based on the alignment of that Nine God. Each sigil contains a number of linear segments corresponding to the name of that Nine God (ex: three lines on the sigil for III). The exception to this system is the sigil for IX (the Sun) around which the others orbit and thus uses a full circle and orbiting visual language.

Symbols of the Nine Gods.

Live Game Examples

Rite of the Nine Director screen + UI theme elements. Third Spire node art by Eric Richter. Eternity Director screen and nodes by Jess Myers.

Rite of the Nine vendor screen.

Eternal title and triumphs.

Applied Branding

A few examples of how this brand was able to support the larger Destiny 2 marketing strategy. Product design and implementation was handled by Bungie Consumer Products, Franchise Rewards, and many other talented folks.