Solitaire Roadtrip Game Logo Art, Yahoo
Credits
Illustrator: Maryanne N
Visual Designers: Maya E
Products: Yahoo Games, Yahoo News
Year
2026
Problem and Opportunity
With the visual foundation for Yahoo Solitaire's roadtrip theme established, we turned our attention to the logo itself. This was an opportunity to fully embrace Americana: to capture that nostalgic, open-road feeling through both illustration and lettering.
The goal was to explore a range of directions that felt retro yet relatable, distinct yet immediately recognisable as Solitaire. We wanted designs that could live on a vintage motel sign just as comfortably as they could on a mobile game icon.
I rarely get the chance to dive deep into lettering work in my day-to-day projects, so this felt like a special opportunity, not just to expand my craft, but to create something truly distinctive. This project became a playground for blending classic roadtrip iconography with custom lettering treatments, pushing how far we could take the theme while maintaining brand alignment and legibility across all touchpoints.
Process
I explored three distinct visual directions, each tapping into different facets of roadtrip nostalgia and Americana:
US License Plate Inspiration: Drawing from the bold, utilitarian letterforms and regional character of American license plates, this direction emphasized legibility and that instantly recognisable roadside aesthetic.
Retro Treatments: Leaning into vintage signage, motel marquees, and classic roadtrip graphics from the '50s and '60s, this approach prioritized nostalgic charm and playful typography.
Tangible Collections: Inspired by the physical artifacts of travel: stickers, postcards, pamphlets and souvenir ephemera: this direction explored how the logo could feel like a collectible keepsake.
I collaborated closely with the visual designer to develop these concepts, working together to define the visual territory for each direction. Once we aligned on the approaches, I went in to draw, translating these ideas into fully realised logo explorations that balanced illustration and lettering.
Final Selection
We ultimately chose the circular composition featuring the RV heading into the distance. It was the easiest to read and felt the most connected to the core game experience: that sense of journey and progression. To strengthen the design further, we swapped in the bolder, retro lettering treatment, which gave the logo more presence and vintage character while maintaining clarity at small sizes.
Originally explored gradients but decided it didn’t fit with the brand identity for the game.
This was a quick exploration showcasing seasonal moments (autumn, winter etc) for the logo. I really loved how these turned out!
Final logo. The Yahoo Games team wanted to see the aces, a Yahoo ! bumper sticker, changing the dirt road to a road, and simpler logo colors.
Marketing Team required multiple variations of the lettering part of the logo: background art, neutral, cards with aces and without.
Multiple sizes for different moments across the Yahoo universe.
Yahoo.com. Yahoo Games wanted multiple options to A/B test.
Ad that will appear in Yahoo Search.
Yahoo Games homepage. It will be included in the featured section.
Solitaire splash screen. Their art team worked on the rest of the game (including the splash screen) and we wanted to see how the logo would sit.
Final thoughts
Right now, the project is being tested by users, and I'm excited to see how players respond to the new visual direction.
Getting to create the visual art for a game has always been a dream of mine, and there's something especially meaningful about it being Solitaire: a game I played countless times as a kid. It feels full circle to bring my own visual voice to something that was part of my early relationship with games and digital experiences.
This project reminded me that the best work happens when you get to blend craft with nostalgia, collaboration with personal passion, and brand strategy with playful creativity. I'm proud of what we built together, and grateful for the opportunity to push Yahoo's illustration system into new, more expressive territory.