Article
What is Guild Forging?
Guild Forging is a free toolkit for turning your WoW guild into a brand: a tabard logo maker, tooltip tool, templates and guides.
I started it because I love two things: design and World of Warcraft. Here's the story, and everything you'll find on the site.
Where it came from
I've been playing WoW since I was 15, which means for roughly the past 15 years. Around the same time I started designing. Those have been my two biggest passions for over a decade, and at some point I decided to combine them into one project. That project is Guild Forging.
The idea is simple. Guild masters put a lot of care and work into their guilds, so why not treat a guild as more than a name in the game? It really doesn't take much to make a guild stand out, and I want to show you how to do it, step by step: how to turn your guild into a living, breathing brand.
What you'll find here
| Tool or resource | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Forge | Turns your in-game guild tabard into a flat logo | Coming soon |
| Tooltip maker (opens in a new tab) | Helps you theorycraft gear with custom item tooltips | Live |
| Guides and course | Written guides and a video course on branding your guild | Coming soon |
| Discord server templates | Ready-made, branded server layouts | In progress, free |
| Website templates | Guild website starting points | In progress, free |
| Emoji and icon packs | Matching sets for your Discord and more | In progress, free |
| Services | I can do it for you: branding, visual identity, Discord servers and bots | Available |
The tools, templates, guides and downloads are all free to use. The services are there for guilds that would rather hand the work off.
How Forge works
Forge was the first thing I started building. It takes your in-game guild tabard and turns it into a flat logo.
To make that possible, I vectorized every single tabard icon by hand. Then I built an app that combines those icons with other assets, like borders and backgrounds, and lets you change their colors. When you're happy with it, you download it as a PNG, completely free, and use it as your server image, your profile picture and more.
Why I kept going when AI took off
Then AI blew up, and everyone started using it. Guilds that had no logo suddenly all had one, built with AI. But thinking about it, that has the same effect as having no logo at all. If nobody has a logo, nobody stands out. If everybody has the same kind of AI logo, nobody stands out either.
That's what made me keep going. I moved from a tool that turns a tabard into a logo to something bigger: a knowledge base, a place that teaches guild masters how to brand their guild.
Want the full explanation of what branding means for a guild? Read What is guild branding?
What's coming next
In the meantime, I'm building free side tools like the tooltip maker, and crafting Discord server templates, website templates and emoji and icon packs, all free to use and download. In the future, I plan to make a video series: a course that teaches, in depth, everything you need to build a successful brand that stands apart from the rest.
Not affiliated with Blizzard
Guild Forging is a fan project. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment.
FAQ
What is Guild Forging?
A free toolkit for turning a WoW guild into a brand, with tools, templates and guides.
Is it free?
Yes. The tools, templates, guides and downloads are free. If you'd rather hand the work off, I also offer paid branding services.
Who made it?
I did. I'm a designer and a WoW player who has run several guilds, and I build everything on the site myself.
What is Forge?
A logo maker that turns your guild tabard into a flat logo you can download as a PNG.
Is Guild Forging affiliated with Blizzard?
No. It's an independent fan project.
What should I do next?
Explore the website, try the tools, and have a look at the services if you want help.