Personal Project

Gears of War's global esports broadcast

RoleVisual Designer

IndustryGaming

Date2017 - 2020

OutcomeScalable esports design system

The 30-Second Version

A quick note before you keep scrolling

Live esports broadcasts leave almost no margin for error: every overlay has to read instantly at full gameplay speed while carrying sponsor and tournament branding without breaking the Gears identity. I owned the visual design end to end across four competitive seasons, from HUD screens and player identity systems to weapon skin concepts, motion graphics, and physical merch, delivering 1,000+ production ready assets straight into Unreal Engine on live tournament schedules.

I Owned

Visual design direction, brand to broadcast
HUD, UI & player identity systems
Weapon skin & cosmetic concepts
Motion graphics & broadcast animation

Built Alongside

UI engineers & technical artists: in-engine implementation
Producers & marketing: tournament operations and merch rollout

From first sketch to implementation

I owned the visual design of Gears of War's competitive experiences end-to-end across multiple seasons. Concept to in-engine implementation. With daily collaboration alongside artists, engineers, and producers to make sure every asset shipped on time and looked exactly right.

Deliverables

Motion graphics

The challenge

Live esports broadcasts have almost no margin for error. Every overlay has to communicate information instantly while remaining readable during fast-paced gameplay, accommodating sponsor requirements, multiple camera views, and tournament branding, all without distracting players or viewers.

Carry the Gears brand identity into new competitive contexts

Scale across multiple screen sizes and broadcast environments

Integrate cleanly into Unreal Engine production pipelines

Deliver production-ready assets on live tournament schedules

Design Approach

Brand Identity

Translate the Gears brand into broadcast-ready visual language.

Player Experience

Prioritize clarity and focus so players and viewers stay engaged.

Production Constraints

Design within technical and operational limits of live production.

Final Design

Deliver polished, flexible overlays ready for tournament play.

From concept to competitive-ready

Research

Dissected the Gears visual DNA, materials, textures, typography, composition, lighting. Built a reference foundation that made every new asset feel native to the franchise, not bolted on.

Moodboards · Visual references · Color palette · Typography audit

Visual work & highlights

HUD screens

Created esports-focused game screens and HUD-adjacent UI assets that balanced player identity with readability, hierarchy, and existing UI constraints.

In-game player identity

Designing self-expression. From personal banners to UI-integrated emblems, this work explores how players define themselves in-game

Physical brand & merchandise

Extended the Gears Esports identity beyond the screen into high-impact physical touchpoints. Designed branded apparel (hoodies, t-shirts) and venue gear (pro-gaming chairs) to build community identity and elevate team presence during live global majors.

Weapon skins

Concept to combat. A look at the creative process behind custom weapon cosmetics, highlighting the evolution from initial sketch to final in-game material and texture detail.

Motion & broadcast animation

Crafted dynamic motion packages to elevate live tournament broadcasts, featuring high-energy stingers, animated match transitions, lower thirds, and tournament bracket reveals tailored for real-time Twitch and YouTube streaming.

Reflection

Working on Gears of War Esports taught me how different designing for live competition is from designing traditional game UI. Every visual decision had to support split-second comprehension while satisfying tournament operations, branding, and production constraints. It reinforced the importance of designing systems that remain flexible across seasons rather than creating one-off assets.