Esports Season 2024
2024 was a turning point for Fenworks as we expanded beyond North Dakota and Minnesota into South Dakota and Wyoming, reaching more schools and communities than ever before. It was my first large-scale campaign leading art direction, and the challenge was to symbolize growth across state lines while shifting our messaging to be more student-focused. This was also the year Fenworks began gaining traction, earning recognition from educational entities and drawing attention from national competitors, which meant our design language needed to carry both legitimacy and authenticity, setting the stage for future seasons.
Skills Contributed:
Art Direction ● Video Editing ● Graphic Design
Behind the Vision
For the expansion season, we created a “blue sky” identity, bold blues, clean typography, and mountain-inspired textures that reflected the western U.S. The design captured the sense of scale and possibility that came with moving into new states, while still feeling authentic to the communities we served.
It was also the first time Fenworks carried a single identity across every touchpoint. Students saw it on broadcasts, jerseys, social media, and recap videos. Everywhere they looked, the design reinforced the idea that this was their stage, and that their achievements represented something larger than the games themselves.
The biggest shift came from putting students at the center of it all. By highlighting them as competitors, leaders, and representatives of their schools, the visuals elevated esports into something more widely recognized and respected. It helped position scholastic esports not as a niche activity, but as a program that could stand alongside traditional school offerings while creating a real sense of pride.
Where It Landed
The season set new records across every metric. Viewership doubled from the previous year, schools and communities responded strongly to the student-centered storytelling, and we hosted our largest tournaments yet with the most participants in our history at that point. It was also the season where local news outlets began covering Fenworks more frequently, further cementing esports as a recognized part of school activities in the region.
More importantly, the visuals created pride and connection for students. They shared and repurposed the content, celebrated their achievements, and embraced the identity as their own. For Fenworks, the expansion season solidified our role in the region, proved our ability to compete nationally, and demonstrated that esports could thrive as a legitimate pathway for students.
