What I've Learned
Reflecting and looking back —
Making these fan designs have taught me a lot about how to make engaging graphics while paying homage to the unique organizations that foster these gaming communities. Understanding what the audience wants to see and consume allowed me to create graphics that were not only visually compelling, but were also meaningful and relevant to the M80 community.
Through this process, I also discovered the powerful intersection between graphic design and social media marketing. Two key principles stood out to me: consistency and freshness. Maintaining a steady stream of designs while constantly brainstorming new, exciting ideas played a major role in the engagement my work received. It showed me that staying active and creative within a community helps build momentum.
Last but not least, thank you to M80 for supporting me and my fan designs. I'm in love the brand and I hope to continue making more cool stuff for one of the coolest esports orgs.
Thanks for reading!
#BombSquad
Seeing the success of my fan designs
Growing my online presence —
From friendly support to official recognition by the M80 account, the response to my fan-made designs has gone far beyond what I initially imagined. It was fulfilling to see others admire and enjoy my designs, and it felt even more rewarding seeing the analytics to prove it. I received encouraging feedback from graphic designers currently working at M80, as well as likes on my posts from the CEO of M80 himself, Marco Mereu.
Below is just a small glimpse into how well my graphics performed over the span of 27 days, starting from the first post I shared on March 19, 2025.
*Analytics were complied April 6, 2025 and may not be up-to-date.
*Impressions, Likes, Replies, & Reposts include my posts + the repost from the official M80 account.
official M80 reposting my work!
what people have to say
How I turn my visions into visuals
Conceptualizing & designing —
After collecting all my references, I begin brainstorming unique fan concepts that align with M80’s brand voice, values, and content style. I ask myself a key question throughout the process: Would this be something M80 would actually post if it were an official deliverable?
This question helps me stay grounded in the brand’s visual identity while encouraging thoughtful design choices. I consider elements like tone of voice, audience engagement, platform format, and even the type of content M80 tends to prioritize—be it team highlights, player announcements, or significant moments in M80 esports.
Once I feel confident in the concept, I move into design execution, carefully applying M80’s signature style—shock yellow, the night typeface, distorted elements—while adding my own creative flair. The goal is always to create something that feels authentic to the brand and exciting to its community.
my designs > graphics
my designs > social media headers
Announcing the recent Valorant team win against Winthrop University in the Challengers NA league.
An April Fools announcement for an M80 x Marvel Rivals team.
their original headers > my versions
2025 VCT Capsule - Concept
the player card
recolor process video (sped up)
layer breakdown (sped up)
the players using my versions! 💙
Celebrating the recent milestone of @M80gg hitting 100,000 followers on X.
Winning against Winthrop meant going against Shopify Rebellion Black in the grand finals.
The first step to any creative process:
gather meaningful references
Starting my project —
Whenever I begin a creative project, the first step I take is gathering references and inspiration to guide my process. For this project, that meant researching M80’s official branding guidelines and closely studying designs created by the official M80 design team. By analyzing their visual language, layout choices, and use of color and typography, I was able to better understand how to stay consistent with the brand’s identity while adding my own creative touch.
the references
gathered from Paper Crowns ↗ and @M80gg ↗
M80 is a global esports & technology company, specializing in professional esports, gaming performance training, digital goods, partnerships, events, and consumer product goods. This ongoing personal project features my own designs and concepts inspired by M80’s distinct visual identity and graphic style. My fan-made graphics reached thousands and were even recognized by M80 themselves.
Through this project, I practiced creating esports-style visuals while sharpening my ability to work within existing branding guidelines.
Mar 2025 - Apr 2025
project overview —
timeline —
Social Media Graphics
skills —
Photoshop
Figma
tools —
> M80 Esports Fan Designs
M80 Esports Fan Designs
