ABOUT AFK GAMING
Industry: Esports / Gaming Media
Scope:• Brand Identity System • Mascot Design • Style Guide • Digital & Print Assets
AFK Gaming is a leading esports media platform that produces livestreams, tournament coverage, and editorial content for three core titles: DOTA 2, CS:GO, and competitive mobile games. With a rapidly growing audience and content output, the brand needed a design system that could flex across multiple genres while still feeling cohesive and unified.
My role involved leading the branding and marketing redesign. This included creating a modular visual identity, updating the existing logo, and introducing a mascot that would help humanize the brand and increase its visibility.
Logo Design & Mascot Development
As the logo system evolved, a new opportunity emerged: the creation of a mascot. Inspired by the presence of strong character identities in DOTA and CS:GO — and the emotional loyalty they foster — I began exploring how a mascot could become a central figure for AFK.
I redesigned the entire logo system from the ground up to support this structure. The new identity focused on clean geometry and digital adaptability, with references to gaming culture. This created a visual language that could scale easily across social media, livestream overlays, and merchandise — all without losing recognition or impact.
Each sub-brand needed to feel distinct, but also clearly belong to the AFK family. From there, I developed a visual system rooted in adaptable shapes, consistent typography, and a shared grid structure — all while leaving room for game-specific character.
Visual Language
To distinguish the master brand, I chose a deep gray paired with a vivid green. This contrast helped the AFK identity stand out in a crowded digital space while still feeling modern and versatile.
The color palette for the identity system was built around the distinct visual worlds of the games AFK covered. Each vertical adopted colors inspired by its game community — warm tones for DOTA, high-contrast yellow for CS:GO, and bright, cool metallic hues for mobile gaming.
Design Execution
Deliverables included a full branding toolkit — a new master logo and sub-brand variants, the final mascot asset, and a comprehensive style guide outlining colors, typography, and usage. I also created social media templates, website components, event overlays, branded merchandise, and presentation materials.
Every piece was designed to be part of a cohesive system. For example, the same principles used in the mascot illustration informed the styling of social assets. Presentation decks carried visual cues from the live stream overlays, reinforcing the brand across every touchpoint.
Results
The redesigned identity gave AFK Gaming a bold, unified presence that worked across every content stream. Each game vertical felt distinct but still connected to the AFK core brand. Internally, the team now had tools and guidelines that made content creation faster, more consistent, and more engaging.
Most notably, the mascot became a standout feature. It added personality to a previously static identity and resonated especially well with younger viewers and stream audiences. Early feedback from both the client and the community was overwhelmingly positive.