Blackbox computers was a concept brand for a custom-made PC company I worked on in early 2012. While the company did not come to fruition, it gave me an opportunity to refine my branding skills.
My origional concept was called 'Hacked', and involved a matrix-esque look based around soft glows and faint hues.
Whilst this approach was attractive, I wanted the feel for the brand to be more serious, and more militiaristic. My market research indicated that gamers gravitated towards this feel when buying premium hardware, and this is actually quite apparent in brands such as Alienware or Xbox.
The final design was a more subtle in it's application. A basic but easily identifiable logomark placed beside strong, iconic type.