As the Lead Designer, I worked closely with Nike to develop the branding, ensuring continuity with their marketing, and a seamless visual experience. Collaborating with our CG team and the Epic Games Innovation Lab, was an essential aspect of my role, harnessing our combined expertise to create a compelling player experience. A key challenge was effectively showcasing our outfits and cosmetics while infusing the creative island player fantasy into the branding.
The Airforia Pack of outfits and cosmetics: Airie, protector of Airforia and keeper of the Air Max Grails; and Maxxed Out Max, the quintessential sneakerhead on a mission to steal the Grails to complete his collection.
It is worth highlighting that this collaboration marked the first time that a renowned industry-leading brand like Nike tested the capabilities of the Unreal Engine Fortnite Network (UEFN), exemplifying the company's willingness to push the boundaries of experience.
“This is really the next generation of storytelling,” says Bryon Panaia, Global Creative Director of Nike Brand Experience and Innovation. “UEFN has created the toolset for us to bring these stories to life for people in new ways.” Click the video below to find out more.
Creative Director: Conor Rechtschaffner
Lead Designer: Cody Petruk
Senior Designer: Rico Macias-Zepeda
Character Designs by Epic Games
Here are a few explorations from early on in the design process. Ultimately, we decided to simplify the branding and lean into the Airforia player fantasy.
