Euan Mitchell
This project is as a collaboration with a friend who is building a political sci‑fi game, heavily influenced by the Star Wars movies. I'm designing faction icons and other graphics.
Dozens of unique icons- Unified design system
- Lore‑driven symbolism
The work spans major factions, regional sectors, political parties, religious groups, paramilitaries, and independent operators. Each icon draws from real‑world Scottish, Pictish, Hibernian, industrial, and sci‑fi influences, blended into a legally distinct but recognisably “galactic” style.
The Imperial High Command icon is built from hard, authoritarian geometry: rotational symmetry inspired by historical fascist insignia, sharp lightning‑bolt angles, battlement‑like decagon teeth, and the square rank markers seen on Imperial officers. At the centre sit shapes drawn from stormtrooper helmet eyes, giving the mark a cold, mask‑like focus. The alternate version replaces that centre with an inverted, angular fleur‑de‑lis that echoes royal crowns and the silhouette of a Star Destroyer, tipping the whole symbol toward a skull‑like intimidation. Both variants are deliberately closed, heavy and militaristic - the visual language of a regime that walls itself in.
Imperial Factions
For the imperial factions, I wanted the icons to be mostly uniform, as the empire represents conformity and rigid adherence.
The Upland Corporate Administration
For this, I read about the highland clearances, specifically the Duchess of Sutherland One of the things they did was raise "fencible regiments" - armies supposedly intended to defend Scotland, who were in reality intended as enforcers of the clearances. Anyway, one of the uniform elements of these Scottish regiments was the Sillitoe tartan - a checkered design - that has since evolved to represent policing across the world.
From there, the logo is simple, incorporating a band of Sillitoe tartan into the centre of the imperial cell.
Imperial Centrist Party
This description reminded me of the ultimate pointless centrist party: "Change UK".
I've put their logo in the middle of the imperial cell.
Capital Authority
The name of this one reminded me of the "New World Order"/"One World Government" conspiracy theory, which is usually based on the illuminati, the UN or more unsavoury conspiracy elements.
The UN logo consists of a world map with latitude and longitude lines imposed upon it in a circle - I swapped the circle for the decagon, and replaced the world with a simplified silhouette of Scotland.
As an alternate, a simple eye (like the illuminati/masons floating eye) that I traced from emperor palpatine, contained within the imperial cell.
Imperial Navy
For this one, I used my initial alternate design for the imperials, which contains a skull/spaceship design already.
Imperial Security Bureau
This is basically the FBI, so I gave them the FBI logo
Central Command
I looked at the logo for the United States Central Command (or "CENTCOM" in their meathead parlance)
It consists of an eagle clutching a shield, imposed on a globe in a roundel.
I swapped the circular shape for the decagon, swapped the globe for a starfield, swapped the shield for a (blacked out) imperial cell, and replaced the eagle with a "Fynock", some kind of star wars bird. Unfortunately fynocks don't have legs, so I gave it a single talon from an eagle.
The Rebel Alliance icon blends the familiar starbird silhouette with local symbolism: a saltire cut through the form, a pair of cupped hands in the negative space, and a thistle crown at the top. It’s designed to feel open, protective and hopeful — the visual opposite of the Empire’s closed geometry. The royal variant pushes the same idea further, using gold and purple to emphasise dignity and community rather than authority.
Rebel Factions
For the rebels, I wanted the icons to be open, welcoming and friendly, but still representing strength.
BAS Seperatists
The BAS Seperatists are defined by their continued use of droids - so I thought about computers and technology, especially retro tech. I also looked at historical movements for Scottish independence.
The final icon is a Porg, made of round(ish) pixels akin to the BBC micro owl, using a similar colour scheme to the old apple logo.
Guardians of the Hollow
For the guardians of the hollow, I looked at the existing iconography of the jedi order from the films (and extended universe) as well as the logo of the "Temple of the Jedi Order" - the real life quasi-religion based on star wars. Additionally, I looked at the most obvious element of Scottish religion that is specific to Scotland - the Church of Scotland. (I originally looked at the "Wee Frees" but their logo is very simple and abstract)
For this icon, the thistle leaves become burning flames - reminiscent of the burning bush logo of the church of Scotland - wrapping around and forming a "hollow", which contains the inverted temple logo. This is intended to be a cheeky reference without being too on the nose.
Homestead Outlaws
For this icon, the concept was simple: Take a Lion Rampant and swap it for a Rancor (that's the monster that almost ate Luke Skywalker).
To do this, I downloaded a rigged 3d model of a Rancor, posed it to match the Lion Rampant, and sketched over it. I swapped it's awkwardly shaped claws for the claws of the lion as it was quicker and simpler than carefully posing the model.
Finally, the rampant rancor is superimposed on a golden rebel leaf.
Port City Workers Union
For the PCWU, I looked at real life longshoremen and port workers unions and their iconography for inspiration.
I also looked at real life rocket ship launchpads, and the canonical map of the galaxy from star wars. A lot of shipyard iconography is based on geography, and for a game set in space, swapping earth for the galaxy and watercraft for spacecraft seems reasonable.
I traced and simplified the galaxy map, ending up with an unsatisfying messy bullseye. I looked at the launch scaffolding from rocket launches - ships in star wars don't look like our rockets, so I didn't include elements like that. I also looked for other representations of galaxies - usually shown as a swirling mass. I stretched it into more of a circular shape, and noticed a similarity to the sharp swirls of the ITF logo. By repeating and scaling those swirls, you get a clean, industrial representation of the galaxy. Contained within it is a solidarity fist, representing labour.
The Real Army of the Republic
Because this is for a military or para-military group, the symbol is fairly straightforward. A beret represents an armed force, and the rebel thistle is reproduced within the shape.
Independent Factions
Belter Reavers
A simple heraldic wolfs head with his head upturned to howl at the moon.
Uisge Runners
Whisky - Uisge - the water of life. What runs in water? A kelpie of course!
I took an illustration of a running horse, and combined it with the head of some star wars horse like creature.
Al Bas Broadcasting
I looked at logos for BBC Scotland as well as contemporary news logos. I particularly like the old Strathclyde Transport logo, so I recreated a simplified version, unifying the angles and making it even simpler and blockier.
Sector Icons
The three sector icons are built to reflect the cultural and political character of their regions. Together, they map the planet’s identity and the tensions running through it.
The Uplands icon is built from simplified, angular forms lifted from real Pictish stones. It’s a mark with an ancient, carved quality, and the Rebel and Imperial variants push that tension further: Rebels cradle it within protective thistle leaves, while Imperials lock it inside the hard geometry of the Imperial cell.
The Central Belt icon pulls from 20th‑century Scottish industrial design — the arrows of the old Glasgow airport logo, the angular Strathclyde transport mark, the silhouette of the Finnieston crane and the repeated verticals of tenement housing. Combined, they form a compact sci‑fi shape that reads almost like a small spacecraft. The Rebel variant opens the geometry outward, wrapping a simplified version of the mark in protective wings, while the Imperial variant flips the symbol, weights it heavily, adds rank squares and cages it inside Imperial angles.
The Lowlands icon pulls from rainforest imagery and Hibernian symbolism: the wide, meandering curve of the Amazon river, a sharpened clover silhouette, the rhythm of the Irish tricolour and the stars of the Starry Plough. Together they form a trio of ships in motion. The Rebel variant opens the leaves outward to guide the ships forward, while the Imperial version adds a fourth ship, turns the formation inward and tightens it into a crosshair.
