Summary

Studio: BUCK

Client & Project: Riot Games - League of Legends - MSI 2025

Riot Games, the creator of League of Legends, one of the most iconic esports franchises in the world, tasked BUCK with developing a fresh brand identity for the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI). The challenge was to honor past design systems while creating something bold, innovative, and scalable for future tournaments.

Our goal: deliver a complete branding toolkit that could seamlessly work across live events, broadcasts, and digital platforms, all while captivating millions of global fans.

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What was the challenge and how we tackled it

League of Legends has become a benchmark in esports content, renowned for its craftsmanship, constant innovation, and ability to immerse fans in ever-expanding worlds and characters. For the MSI 2025, Riot Games challenged us to develop a completely new brand identity that honored the legacy of past editions while pushing boundaries with fresh design and animation. The goal was not only to inspire fans worldwide but also to establish a scalable brand system that could evolve with future tournaments.

Our scope covered the entire spectrum of assets: both for the live event and for all digital and broadcast channels. This ranged from foundational elements such as refined logos, new typography, and design grids, to large-scale applications like arena banners, broadcast transitions, and dynamic visuals for a 17,500-seat venue.

The result was a comprehensive design toolkit: updated logos, color palettes, grid systems, typography, graphic assets, and motion guidelines. Built with flexibility and scale in mind, the system seamlessly extended across live events, print, broadcast, and digital platforms, setting a strong, future-proof foundation for the MSI brand.

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What I did

1. Acted as the main point of contact for Riot Games and all production partners.

2. Oversaw budgeting, negotiations, and timeline management throughout the project.

3. Ensured brand integrity and compliance across every asset.

4. Collaborate with creative direction to coordinate designers, animators, and client stakeholders.

5. Led the production team, from kickoff to delivery.

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The outcome

Tournament drew 21 percent more peak viewers than the previous year achieving a remarkable success, and broke its all-time viewership record with 3.4M concurring viewers.

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