Valorant Champions Tour /21

Valorant Champions /21

A DYNAMIC MOTION IDENTITY FOR PREMIER ESPORTS

Client
Riot Games

Studio
Massive Assembly

Role
Art Direction
Type Design
Graphic Design
User Interface

Expertises
Branding
Type Design
Brand Expression
Motion System

Industry
Esport
Sport
Entertainment

The Global VCT Premiere

Valorant Champions stands as Riot Games' premier professional competition for its tactical first-person shooter, Valorant. Inaugurated in 2021, the tournament carried the immense pressure of establishing a new, global benchmark for esports production. The tournament quickly became a worldwide spectacle, drawing sixteen elite teams from around the world to compete fiercely for a significant $1 million prize pool and the coveted title of world champion. Hosting the first-ever finals in Berlin, Germany, was a landmark moment that immediately solidified the tournament's high global prestige and set the definitive visual standard for all subsequent competitive circuits and VCT events, emphasizing the need for an unparalleled inaugural visual identity.

Crafting a Bold Language

To successfully elevate the tournament's inaugural identity and ensure its cultural presence, I focused on crafting a visually bold and authoritative language deployed across a complex, integrated multi-platform campaign. This included developing the core aesthetic for the high-impact teaser film, the cinematic trophy film, and all corresponding marketing materials. The strategic goal was to create a robust design system capable of unifying the diverse deliverables—from static key art to dynamic broadcast elements guaranteeing a consistent, high-energy presentation worthy of a world championship while instantly cutting through the noise in the crowded digital landscape and commanding attention.

The Echoing Metaphor

The core design solution was centered on utilizing kinetic typography not just as decoration, but as a powerful, echoing visual metaphor for competitive spirit and digital communication. This strategic approach was instrumental in achieving the delicate balance between essential brand clarity and dynamic storytelling complexity. By developing streamlined motion guidelines, we were able to enhance critical readability on fast-moving screens while simultaneously creating significant space for rich, engaging narrative content. The final result delivered a cohesive and highly memorable experience, deeply engaging both professional players and the dedicated global fanbase, and maximizing the dramatic impact of the championship's inaugural run across all media.

“Suleyman expertly developed a cohesive typographic system that fundamentally synchronized with our event's visual narrative and strategic identity.”

“The typographic architecture Suleyman crafted was truly instrumental; it didn't just align with our brand, it became the dynamic visual engine that amplified the entire competitive atmosphere of the championship and unified the global broadcast.”

Tracy Fu

Executive Creative Director
Riot Games

DESIGN DEV

The echo of Champions

DESIGN SYSTEM

A narrative iconographic and title system

ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

A typography first territory

Numerous typographic explorations have enabled me to determine the most suitable compositional principles for the dissemination of both straightforward as well as complex information.

The scientific models of acoustic visualisation were an essential frame of reference for the artistic development of the "Champions" identity.

SOCIAL & INTERACTION

A social echo

A series of posts and stories were developed in collaboration with the in house concept artists for various social media platforms.

Fired up !

Online activations created strong engagement with the esports community in the lead up to the event.

CREDITS

Client
Riot Games

Studio
Massive Assembly

Creative Direction
Jason Yeh
Eugene Seo

Concept Art
Arthur Chen Yuan
Mikail Il
Jannes Ennen
Mariia Menshikova
Andrei Khrutskii

2D Animation
Yuee Seo
Murilo Almeida
Champ Panupong Techawongthawon

Type & Brand Direction
Suleyman Yazki
Jun Hong

3D
Dima Flood
Axl Le
Ronaldo Amador
Yuee Seo
Neil Hilken

Producing
Shannon McMahon
Mariia Menshikova
Ingviled Friss Bjerkeli

Creative Producer - NMBRS
Victor Hedström

3D - NMBRS
Alexander Waxin
Fedor Zaplatin
Zhi Lu
Liu Zeliang
Egor Gavrilov

Compositing - NMBRS
Jamie Wandroph

Storyboard
Frankell Baramdyka

Compositing
Ronaldo Amador

Edit
Dan Gillette
Victor Hedström
Murilo Almeida

Color
Jason Yeh

Sound by
Cypher

VO
Patrick Forbes

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Suleyman Yazki

Direction | Design

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