Clix Masterminds
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures strategy game built around comic-book characters, where team building, positioning, powers, and character interactions can create a steep learning curve for new and novice players.
For the outsider, deeper competitive knowledge can feel concentrated among established players and like everyone else already knows something you missed.
Scott wanted to help players bridge that gap. There was already plenty of content about new releases and successful competitive teams. His interest was in helping people understand why those decisions worked so they could become more confident making their own.
I was asked by Scott for my thoughts about him creating the channel and community, and if I would design its identity.
Round 1 of a new player-friendly Heroclix tournament at Legacy Cards and Games in Victoria Texas, 2026.
finding the right kind of trouble
I had known Scott and played together for over a decade. The channel's identity needed to reflect his purpose while capturing his personality: knowledgeable, supportive, and fun chaos.
I pitched the name “Masterminds” which played on the idea of secret knowledge and comic-book scheming while inviting people to become part of a group.
The direction became:
"Knowledge bombs for a crew of clever troublemakers"
Smart without being elitist, welcoming without being tame, and rebellious without pushing players away.
A segment, “Clix Bites”, short explainers, led exploration into Zombies, brains, skulls, and the idea of digesting knowledge. Scott suggested including a mushroom cloud, dropping knowledge bombs, which brought more imagery to the concept.
Design exploration included comic villains, early punk, underground publishing, and toy packaging, looking for a direction with enough attitude to stand apart from other HeroClix podcasts.
The challenge was keeping the balance between rebellion and community.
I sketched multiple versions of the skull, moving between realistic and exaggerated forms.
The balance started to work when I softened the curves and pushed the proportions to find a balance that allowed the skull to look mischievous and friendly. View Project Pintrest Board
Iterations moved from a skull base to a "zombified" skull with inner light and pupils to bring life.
Scott loved the idea of the Bonehead, and we explored different features for the mascot.
Different features allowed the Boneheads to take on individual personalities, and create a family of characters each with their own names. Scott favored the mustached, monocled character, which became the primary mascot and was named after epiphany, or the "moment everything Clix".
giving the name energy
The wordmark needed to belong to the same world as the boneheads. I looked at comic-book titles, music typography, and packaging from the ’80s and ’90s. Some explorations leaned too far toward angular rock metal lettering. I wanted the energy without losing the playful comic-book connection.
I developed the composition using typography that bridged the rebellious punk aesthetic and villainous comic book titles, using Badaboom Pro and Barlow Condensed for their sharp angles and curves. I paired the typography with a multilayered framing to create a smoother shape around the lockup.
The color selection came naturally from established zombie and brain coloring, and purple and yellow were brought in for variations of light and dark.
The system also offered possibilities for future physical products, including shirts and action tokens.
The shirts moved into production, while the other product ideas remain potential extensions.
Those elements could support educational content and digital applications
more than just a mark
I wanted the identity to have enough material to meet the needs of Clix Masterminds and work beyond a channel.
The Bonehead family, Brain Bomb, Critical Fail dice, and Blast were developed as supporting graphics.
The concept was expanded into a full identity suite along with templates for recurring social posts, Twitch stream cards, digital platforms, and physical items.
Those elements could support and give Scott room to develop the channel and community.
"Eric has always been my go-to person to bounce ideas off of, and through our years of doing projects, he has come to know my personal style and the oddities I lean towards.
Clix Masterminds was the name he cooked up after one of our discussions. After that, I started tossing out ideas, and Eric was ready to take off. His designs are always above my expectations, and he is very thorough with communication about his design insights."
- Scott Johnson Owner of Clix Masterminds