My first position with Zynga was as a Graphic Designer with User Acquisition (UA), within the Central Marketing organization. The primary task of this role was to gain new users through static and animated paid acquision ads. Secondary to this was preparing social assets for game launches so our new games had an accompanying social presence that tied to other games under the Zynga umbrella. Since we were a fledgling graphic design team, and the only one within Zynga not dedicated to a specific game team, we often undertook a variety of unrelated marketing duties from Company All Hands slide shows to developing wireframes and in-game assets for game teams, as needed. We also had a big hand in the creation of Apple App Store assets as well, including customization of the page and in-app screenshots.
PAC ads
Paid acquisition advertising utilized game art in the creation of compelling, imaginative ads for customers through a paid marketing channel such as social media ads, display ads, affiliate marketing, etc. These ads consisted of a variety of themes since testing revealed many themes performing differently depending on the marketing channel used. The product was promoted through depictions of game play, big wins, featured characters/scenes, and other methods that accurately conveyed the brand while emphasizing the excitement of Vegas-style casino slots and social gameplay. Coins play a pretty notable role in the creation of advertising around slots. Ads with coins generally perform better than those without, so they're featured heavily throughout marketing, particularly for social slots. Because PAC ads live in a variety of places online and also need to fit various device screens, it was necessary to resize PAC ads sometimes up to 40 different dimensions, so this really was the definition of production design.
Video ads almost always have a higher engagement and retention rate than static ads, so many of the Paid Acquisition efforts began to revolve around video. With the ability to fully show gameplay, we were able to highlight our players' favorite slot machines to draw in users with similar tastes. Similarly, we were able to capture key moments like wheel spins, bonus games, and character creation which are major draws.
Carousel Ads
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Video Ads
Static Ads
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App Store Screenshots
App Store screenshots can make or break a conversion decision for someone viewing the app. They provide the user a preview of the product beyond the description, allowing them to visualize what your product interface will look and feel like. They give you a platform to convey your brand while connecting to users through color, imagery, and graphics. They're much more likely to try the app if they see themselves in the branding.
For many of our Slots brands, nostalgia was the key factor in winning over our audiences; nostalgia for media they grew up with, like the Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or the Princess Bride. With this in mind, our screenshots featured memorable scenes, characters, and environments that users could reminisce about and identify with, while also displaying bonus games and win states which also resonated with our players.
Willy Wonka Slots
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Spin it Rich!
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Hit It Rich!
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The Wizard of Oz Slots
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App Icons
One of the most important parts of ASO, for Zynga, was testing and revision of the app icon. A refresh was performed every few months to invigorate the App Store page and appeal to players to continue playing when updated on their device. Sometimes an icon was created just to impart a simple message such as free gifts to new players. Many Zynga games opted to use the Zynga “dog tag” on their icon which further branded our games so they could be more easily recognized, especially among competitors.
Adaptive Icons also became a vital part of icon design so that our icons were also compatible with different shapes and platforms (like Android). We always worked closely with our engineering teams to ensure the adaptive icons behaved correctly once submitted.
App Store Environment
At one time, Apple allowed custom pages in the App Store with a cover photo and background color. I used to be tasked with selecting a photo and mocking it up with multiple color palettes to find the most successful composition.
Other Projects
While working with User Acquisition, GEM didn't exist yet so we were the single source for design help to all of Marketing. Often they had other special projects for us to take on outside of our regular duties. From printed Ice Age DVD inserts advertising our Ice Age Match 3 game to wireframing new, unreleased games, to preparing online Q & A sessions for the CEO, we had our hands in just about everything design-related for the company.
