One of The Designers Republic most ambitious projects was work for the game series Wipeout. Wipeout was a series of futuristic racing games by Psygnosis studios for the original PlayStation. TDR was originally tasked with the packaging for the game, but eventually went on to design the in-game menus, in game artwork and the overall color schemes for the game. A 1999 New York Times article writing on the third installments website, Wip3out (released September 8th 1999), “fictional manufacturers that produce the hoverships have their own graphic identities, including corporate color schemes (complete with paint catalog numbers), typefaces, and specifications about the size and placement of their logos.”

In an interview with Designboom, Anderson listed working on the game environments and virtual universal concepts for wipeout was one of his favorite projects due to the sheer scope. The aim for the project was to create a more realistic future, not one “making the sky toxic orange with 10 moons flying around and the world gone mad” as Wip3out’s lead artist says (NYT archive). TDR did not simply create packaging, but they used design to create an entirely immersive world for Wipeout. Ultimately, they decided to end the partnership with the Wipeout franchise when they were asked to pitch ideas for the 4^th installment by someone who had no previous work in the three prior games (TDR.com).

Their designs for the Wipeout franchise have stood the test of time and gone on to define much of the futuristic y2k aesthetic that is revamping in brands like Marc Jacob’s Stray Rats and various other online/Instagram brands. I have even seen my friend pull inspiration from the typography used in the game’s cover and booklets for his own work.

Bibliography

Herz, J C. “The Game as Elegant Fashion Statement.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Sept. 1999, https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/circuits/articles/16game.html?scp=3&sq=wipeout%2525203&st=cse.

“Wipeout.” The Designers Republic, The Designers Republic™, 21 Oct. 2019, https://www.thedesignersrepublic.com/wipeout.

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Wipeout-3-Playstation/dp/B00001QECO