About four years ago, I joined The Punished Backlog as a writer. A few years later, I joined the ranks of editorship, and with that, I started subtly injecting more energy into the site’s visual aesthetics. When we launched The Punished Podcast last year, I went all-in on revamping our vibes. One of my “real life” jobs is doing branding, graphic design, and marketing strategy, and I’ve had fun with The Punished Backlog’s brand as a space for play.
You’ll have seen my designs in the teal to purple gradients of our Punished Favorites lists, Game of the Year coverage, and, of course, on our podcast. In conjunction with our first editorial meeting of the year, I suggested investing in an updated brand to reflect this new style. Fellow editors David and Sam gave me the green light to explore, and after some drafting and voting, we’re excited to share a new website logo with you!
In order to design any brand, I think it’s important to see where an organization has been. To guide us through the logos of yesteryear all the way to our new launch, I’ve asked Punished Backlog founder David Silbert to join me for a little Q&A.
The Name
Amanda: Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t get the name of the site. I knew what backlog meant—games you own but haven’t played. I think I even asked you to add the explanation that we now have on our About The Punished Backlog page. I know that the word “punished” is in reference to 2015’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. You founded the site in 2017. How did that name come about? What inspired you about it?
David: So here’s the lore: In 2017, I was wrapping up my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania. One of my good friends (then and now) was big into video games and statistics (then and now). That year, he accompanied me to Boston to attend PAX East 2017, and we got to talking on the flight home. Prior to then, I’d been doing the occasional volunteer work for small-time sites, most of which are now defunct. Rather than write articles that would eventually go belly-up by way of a 404 error, I wanted a home for my words—a safe haven, if you will.
To anyone who’s played the MGS games, the idea of “Outer Heaven” will resonate. It was conceived by Snake as a place where wayward soldiers without a country could find freedom and sovereignty. So, I took that concept, ran with the “Punished Snake” codename from MGSV, and created the backstory that our long-neglected Blu-rays discs are desperately in need of a home.
Thus, The Punished Backlog was born.
Logo 1: 2017–2018
Amanda: I’m assuming this is in reference to Metal Gear Solid but tell me about what’s going on here. He’s a pirate? With an eyebrow? How’d you make this?
David: You’re (mostly) correct! So yes, the logo is a visual representation of Punished Snake from MGSV. He isn’t a pirate, but rather a mercenary for hire. One of Snake’s distinctive features throughout the series is his eyepatch, which he got when… honestly I have no clue how he lost his eye. I do know, however, that he got his horn (not an eyebrow!) from a piece of shrapnel prior to the events of MGSV. (The game opens with him in the middle of the ER.)
The point is, this guy’s been through hell and is still here to tell the tale. I felt it apropos to how we treat our respective gaming backlogs. So, a few weeks after I came up with the title, I made a doodle during an economics lecture I was having trouble staying awake for. That mock would end up becoming our first site logo. (Oof, that puke green!)
Logo 2: 2018–2021
Amanda: I thought this was very minimalist chic! This was the logo when I joined the site. How did this come about?
David: Shout-out to Punished Backlog alum Anna Hickey. Like you, she’s a writer-designer, and her artistic chops were felt from day one of being with the site.
In addition to designing our 2018 logo, she created the cover art for my solo podcast, Weekend at Dave’s. She also wrote an excellent op-ed on Cuphead’s animation style and spearheaded a side-wide Inktober effort. We wouldn’t be who or where we are without her!
Logo 3.A: 2021–2024
Amanda: After a few months on the site, I suggested a more formal brand update, especially since there was no text on the logo at the time. (I also pushed us to get more active on social media which was short-lived, haha. These days, I’m largely on a social media cleanse!) I remember there was this dark teal on the site as a link accent color that I liked; I wanted to run with that. However, this logo didn’t work for a new layout of the site. It appeared a few places throughout the years, but it never was like “our official” logo.
David: It was and it wasn’t! I know offline you joked that I didn’t “vibe” with it, but the funny reality is that I needed a thinner logo for mobile layouts and didn’t want to bother you when you were so fresh with the site. We used this for our social media logo across all major channels, but I had to get a little scrappy for the site logo itself.
Logo 3.B: 2021–2024
Amanda: You ran with the teal colors I had suggested and made this one! I thought the gradient was cool. Tell me more about making this one.
David: Is this my “awww nice effort, Dave” moment? (Laughs.) Obviously, I’m not a designer. That said, I worked in brand marketing as well, and knew we definitely wanted to stick with the teal that has become synonymous with the site. So, I opened a browser app I can no longer remember, matched the site font as best I could, and created a gradient to give the disk a little sheen (and avoid it looking like a donut).
Farewell, David’s Frankenstein logo! May you live on in the halls of Valhalla.
The Punished Podcast Branding (2023–Present)
Amanda: Last year, we decided to launch a site podcast. I had so much fun experimenting with our Punished Podcast branding in early 2024. We all liked the third option the best, and I ended up playing with that style more and more on series like Punished Favorites. I made the teal brighter and combined it with an electric purple to give it a sort of ’80s-inspired vibe, harking to one of the golden ages of video games! The podcast design really influenced and informed the—drumroll please!—new site logo…
Logo 4: 2025–?
Amanda: It seemed like a natural fit to do the new logo with the same font we liked from the podcast! You’ve always used the idea of discs as a way to represent the backlog, and so once I had the idea to put a disc as the “o,” I tried it with like a dozen different discs. (Laughs.) Anyway, I hope this logo works for the site and lasts us a nice long while!
David: It looks great, Amanda! You’ve completely overhauled the brand of this site over the past year plus, and our community is stronger because of it. We so appreciate you not just for your writing prowess, but for your branding expertise and steady, authentic leadership. Thanks for all that you do. Can’t wait to share this with the world!
