ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series — Broadcast Hero Graphics
This design case is from my experience at
The Coalition
Role
Visual Designer (Hero Graphics & Retouching)
Industry
Technology & Communication
Active team
Date
2019
Outcome
Designing cinematic visuals for prime-time esports television.
The ELEAGUE Gears Summer Series: The Bonds and Betrayals of Brotherhood was a televised esports event broadcast across the United States, reaching over 300,000 households. The visuals needed to operate at a broadcast standard—cinematic, emotionally charged, and instantly readable while staying true to the gritty identity of the Gears 5 universe. This was not just promotional artwork; it was the visual face of a nationally televised esports narrative.
My role
I led the end-to-end creation of hero graphics for the Summer Series, translating narrative themes such as brotherhood, rivalry, and betrayal into cinematic visuals aligned with Gears 5’s gritty tone. The work delivered high-impact, broadcast-ready assets through advanced retouching and compositing, optimized for TV, social, and live event marketing.
Collaboration
I collaborated closely with ELEAGUE marketing, production, and photography partners to align visuals with the show’s narrative and broadcast requirements, while maintaining consistency with the Gears franchise and ELEAGUE standards. The work moved through fast, iterative feedback cycles aligned with the pace of television production.
Tools & methods
Tools: Adobe Photoshop (advanced retouching workflows), Illustrator Methods: High-end retouching, cinematic lighting refinement, compositional hierarchy, narrative-driven visual design, production-ready asset delivery
The challenge
The challenge was to create hero graphics that read clearly on television while feeling cinematic and emotionally charged. The visuals needed to balance realism with a polished, broadcast-ready aesthetic, respect both Gears of War’s gritty tone and ELEAGUE’s visual standards, and scale seamlessly across multiple platforms without losing impact. Every detail mattered, contrast, lighting, texture, and focal hierarchy all had to perform at broadcast scale.
The process
Research & ideation
Rather than traditional UX research, discovery focused on visual and narrative alignment. I studied prior ELEAGUE broadcasts to understand pacing, framing, and broadcast expectations, analyzed Gears 5’s narrative themes to support the show’s storytelling, and reviewed existing franchise artwork to ensure authenticity and continuity. These insights were distilled into clear visual goals: cinematic depth, emotional tension, and an unmistakable Gears identity.
Exploration & conceptualization
During ideation, I explored multiple compositional approaches to emphasize rivalry and narrative tension, while testing lighting, color grading, and texture depth to push realism without sacrificing clarity. I experimented with character and typography relationships to establish strong focal points and refined hierarchy to ensure the graphics remained legible and impactful in fast-paced broadcast environments.
Iteration & refinement
Iteration focused on precision and restraint. I refined imagery through advanced retouching, balancing grit and polish to achieve a premium look without over-processing. Feedback from marketing and production teams was incorporated through fast cycles, and assets were pressure-tested across TV promos, social placements, and event visuals. A time-lapse video documented the retouching process, highlighting the level of craft and problem-solving involved.
Delivery & implementation
Final hero graphics were delivered fully optimized for television broadcast and deployed across TV promotions, social media, and event marketing. Throughout implementation, I ensured visual consistency across all touchpoints while preserving clarity, impact, and alignment with both the broadcast narrative and the broader campaign.
Visual work & highlights
Hero Graphics
Final broadcast-ready hero visuals were delivered as full-frame compositions designed to perform clearly and consistently at television scale.
Process Highlights
A retouching time-lapse and detailed callouts highlighted key decisions around lighting, texture, and the balance between realism and polish.
Cross-Platform Usage
The final assets were adapted for TV promo stills, social media placements, and event marketing, ensuring visual consistency and impact across channels.
