How TofR Got Its Logo

I've been asked by a number of people, "Where did that logo come from?" Well, as the chairperson of the Graphics Committee, it's fallen to me to write this Behind the Scenes blog post to explain how the Tales of Ryh'na logo came about and what it represents.

There was actually quite a bit of discussion about what to have as a TofR logo. We knew it would have to be something that could be instantly recognizable, simple enough in design to be easily replicated for future marketing opportunities (t-shirts, mugs, etc.), and to convey the essence of TofR.

The yin-yang symbol seems to have such a wide appeal, and it struck an immediate chord with the graphics committee. Its simplicity so elegantly represents dichotomy and balance. And so it became the base for our logo. Beyond that, we needed something that would represent the dichotomy of magic and technology and their struggle for balance in one world.

So, how to represent the magical Ryh'nans and the technologically-advanced Humans?

Dragons, or frahons as they are called by the Ryh'nans, are so recognizable and associated with the fantasy genre that it seemed logical to use one to represent the magical and fantastical part of our story world. (The fact that I happen to love dragons may or may not have had anything to do with that decision.)

That left finding something to represent the technology of the Humans. Even though these Humans are the futuristic sci-fi part of our story world, we still needed something that would be easily recognizable to our audience as technology. To that end we chose the image of a circuit board.

So, there you have it. A yin-yang of a dragon and a circuit board, of magic and technology, of fantasy and science fiction. The logo of Tales of Ryh'na.

- Carson D. Fletcher

Behind the Scenes - an introduction

Behind the Scenes is one of the series we'll be offering here at Behind the Tales. Behind the Scenes serves as a chance for you to peek behind the curtain and see what is brewing in the story world kitchen.  This series is a way to meet those working on this awesome project and to find out just what it takes to put something like Tales of Ryh'na together.

For our inaugural voyage I thought I’d take you to our gym. Yes, all members of the shared story world are given a free membership to our virtual gym as one of the many perks our creators receive.  Do I have your curiosity piqued as to what exactly is a virtual gym?  It’s not a videogame; it’s not Second Life or some other Sim world (although we do intend to extend the story world into the virtual realm).  

It’s...

Okay, actually there is no virtual gym.  I just wanted to make up something awesome, cool, and techno-glamorous to promote the launch of Behind the Scenes.  And now, just as the Hindenburg and Titanic enjoyed that fatal swan dive onto the list of historic crashes, so too is my virtual gym idea.  But, even if I can’t show you a virtual gym, there is much for you to see and explore here at TofR.  We are looking forward to showing you around, giving you inside information, and chatting about how we built this storyworld on rock and roll (well, not really the rock and roll part, I just like that song).  Actually, I do enjoy hiding little Easter eggs and tributes in much of what I create, and I hope you will enjoy finding them. Another fun piece to this series will be when  we take  a look at the trivia and hidden bonus material scattered throughout the story world. So, keep checking back so you can join in the fun.

As a final note, if you have a question about something in the storyworld or if you are curious about how we did something, please ask! You can leave comments here at our blog,  e-mail, or reach out through any of our social media outlets http://talesofryhna.blogspot.com/p/everything-tor.html.  

All right! Off to do a few laps in our pool.  Take care, and I'll see you in TofR.

jojo