Riot Games × AFROPUNK — Illustration & Merch

This project was developed in 2023 for the Riot Games × AFROPUNK collaboration, creating a visual system for the in-person event experience. The work explored the intersection between VALORANT’s distinctive visual language and AFROPUNK’s bold cultural identity, translating elements from the game into a more expressive, graphic-driven approach designed for a live cultural environment. Using Phoenix as the main character, I reinterpreted recognizable elements from his identity — including his silhouette, abilities, icons, flames and visual motifs — combining them with bold typography, graphic shapes, textures and AFROPUNK-inspired references. The resulting artwork was designed as a flexible visual system rather than a single standalone illustration, allowing the language to extend across sticker sheets, merchandise, T-shirt graphics and supporting event assets. The goal was to create a visual identity that felt authentic to both worlds: recognizable as VALORANT while carrying the ene

RIOT GAMES × AFROPUNK
::VALORANT::

A visual asset collection created for the Riot Games × AFROPUNK collaboration, developed for the in-person event experience.
The project explored how to merge the visual language of VALORANT with AFROPUNK’s culture, attitude and graphic identity, translating the collaboration into a cohesive set of illustrations, sticker sheets, merchandise artwork and supporting event assets.

THE CONCEPT
The visual direction centered around Phoenix, one of VALORANT's most recognizable Agents.

Rather than simply reproducing the character, I extracted recognizable elements from his visual identity — including his silhouette, abilities, icons, flames and graphic motifs — and reinterpreted them through an AFROPUNK-inspired visual language.
The goal was to create something that felt simultaneously VALORANT and AFROPUNK, without one identity overpowering the other.

CHARACTER ARTWORK
The main illustration reimagines Phoenix through the lens of the collaboration.
His character was treated as the central visual anchor, while flames, ability symbols, textures and typography were integrated into the composition to create a piece that feels closer to a concert poster / cultural event graphic than a conventional game key visual.
The phrase “JUNTOS MAIS FORTES” reinforces the collaborative aspect of the project while connecting the character artwork directly to the event's messaging.
MERCHANDISE
The visual system was also adapted into wearable graphics for merchandise, particularly T-shirt applications.

The illustrations were constructed with scalability and reproduction in mind, allowing the same visual language to translate from detailed artwork into bold, recognizable merchandise graphics.
FINAL RESULT
A flexible visual system built around Phoenix × AFROPUNK, designed to bridge gaming culture with the energy of a live cultural event.

The project demonstrates my approach to taking an established IP, identifying its strongest visual assets and recontextualizing them into a new visual identity while maintaining recognizability and brand consistency.
Thank you for taking the time to explore this project.

If you’re looking to strengthen your brand, engage your community, and build visual systems that scale, let’s talk.

@ohnehals
vitor@ohnehals.com
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