Creative, Art Direction, Pixel Artist
SUPERCELL
Brawlstars 8-bit
The Challenge
Supercell wanted to reward their most dedicated fans with a "deep lore" moment: a secret origin story for the character 8-BIT. The goal was to build a hidden, multi-layered journey through gaming history that felt authentic to the technical limitations of three distinct eras.
The Idea
In partnership with W+K, we created three secret minigames unlocked by a hidden "easter egg." As Art Director and Lead Pixel Artist, I architected a visual regression through time. I personally illustrated the "modern" 32-bit chapter, then led the team in recreating the 16-bit and 8-bit eras—meticulously mimicking the color palettes and dithering techniques of classic consoles like the NES and arcade legends like Double Dragon.
The Result
The project became a legendary piece of Brawl Stars lore, sparking a global hunt and massive organic engagement. It proved that deep craft can turn a hidden detail into a major cultural impact, earning two D&AD Wood Pencils and a Silver Clio Entertainment Award.
Awards
D&AD: 2x Wood Pencil (Digital Design / Games)
Clio Entertainment: Silver (Games: Original Content)
The One Show: 2x Merit (Gaming / Branded Entertainment)
Webby Awards: Honoree (Best Art Direction)
MediaMonks | W+K | Supercell
Project Laser: I personally illustrated this "modern-retro" 32-bit experience, utilizing double the resolution and an unlimited color palette with gradients to achieve a crisp, high-fidelity pixel art aesthetic.
Slugfest: Inspired by arcade classics like Double Dragon, I directed the stile and worked alongside Mattyn Klaassen on backgrounds and Grace Wattimury on character art to recreate the solid fills and dithered gradients of the era.
Starcade Breakdown: In this final level, I art directed an 8-bit homage to arcade legends like Super Mario, utilizing a strict 8-color palette to mimic retro console limitations. I worked closely with Mattyn Klaassen, who executed the majority of the game’s graphics to bring this vintage platformer to life.