Reigniting PAYDAY 2 through new campaign identities

Reigniting PAYDAY 2 through new campaign identities

Overview

PAYDAY 2 had evolved into a long-running live-service franchise supported by ongoing DLC releases, community initiatives and major franchise events.

As part of the marketing team, I contributed to campaign identities, key art direction, branding and promotional assets across multiple content releases and franchise initiatives.


My work spanned major campaign arcs such as Silk Road and City of Gold, as well as community-focused projects including PAYDAY's 10th Anniversary and PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure.

PAYDAY 2 had evolved into a long-running live-service franchise supported by ongoing DLC releases, community initiatives and major franchise events.


As part of the marketing team,
I contributed to campaign identities, key art direction, branding and promotional assets across multiple content releases and franchise initiatives.


My work spanned major campaign arcs such as Silk Road and City of Gold, as well as community-focused projects including PAYDAY's 10th Anniversary and PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure.

PAYDAY 2 had evolved into a long-running live-service franchise supported by ongoing DLC releases, community initiatives and major franchise events.

As part of the marketing team,
I contributed to campaign identities, key art direction, branding and promotional assets across multiple content releases and franchise initiatives.


My work spanned major campaign arcs such as Silk Road and City of Gold, as well as community-focused projects including PAYDAY's 10th Anniversary and PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure.

Role

Marketing Art Director

Focus

Campaign Identity, Key Art Direction, Franchise Branding, Live-Service Marketing

Output

Campaign Key Art, Visual Concepts, Logo Design, Marketing Assets, Event Branding

The challenge

The challenge

The challenge

PAYDAY 2 was no longer a newly released game competing for launch attention. Instead, it needed to remain relevant through years of ongoing content releases, community events and franchise initiatives.

The challenge was to continuously introduce new themes, locations and campaign narratives while maintaining a recognizable visual identity for one of gaming's most passionate long-term communities.

Silk Road

Silk Road

Establishing a new campaign chapter

Silk Road marked the beginning of PAYDAY 2’s renewed live-content phase, introducing new locations, enemies and story beats after the original storyline had concluded.

My role focused on developing campaign key art concepts for each major release, translating new heists and content drops into compelling marketing visuals.
I developed key art concepts, wrote briefs, worked directly with the in-house artists and managed feedback from the marketing team and studio stakeholders.
The goal was to create strong standalone key visuals while keeping the campaign connected to PAYDAY’s established tone and long-running community expectations.

Silk Road marked the beginning of PAYDAY 2’s renewed live-content phase, introducing new locations, enemies and story beats after the original storyline had concluded.


My role focused on translating each heist and content drop into campaign key art. I developed key art concepts, wrote briefs, worked directly with the in-house artists and managed feedback from the marketing team and studio stakeholders.

The goal was to create strong standalone key visuals while keeping the campaign connected to PAYDAY’s established tone and long-running community expectations.

San Martin Bank Heist Key Art
Directed as part of the Silk Road campaign key art suite, supporting multiple content releases across the campaign.

Crimson Shore Key Art
Developed to maintain visual consistency across a long-running campaign while giving each release its own identity.

City of Gold

City of Gold

Building a Campaign Identity

City of Gold was a multi-release campaign arc following the PAYDAY Gang's conflict with the Golden Dagger Triad across a series of interconnected heists.

Inspired by dragon iconography, gold symbolism, Chinatown aesthetics and triad culture, the campaign required a visual identity that could scale across multiple releases while remaining cohesive.

For this campaign, I took a leading role in shaping the visual identity. My responsibilities included developing the campaign logo, establishing the visual direction, creating key art briefs, presenting concepts to stakeholders and leading the feedback process with the in-house artists.

The objective was to create a campaign identity that felt distinct and memorable while remaining recognizably PAYDAY.

Moodboard
Early visual exploration used to establish themes, symbolism and visual direction for the campaign.

City of Gold Logo
Logo design inspired by dragon motifs, gold symbolism and architectural forms associated with San Francisco.

Heist Logos
Each major heist received its own visual identity while remaining connected to the larger City of Gold campaign system.

Campaign Applications

Website & Campaign Experience

The campaign identity was designed to scale beyond key art, supporting dedicated landing pages, content releases and campaign communication.

Beyond Major Campaign Releases

The iconic Dead Game T-Shirt
What began as a long-running community joke eventually became official merchandise. I designed the t-shirt as part of PAYDAY's ongoing dialogue with its player community, and the concept later became part of the franchise's 10th Anniversary celebration through in-game content.

The iconic Dead Game T-Shirt
What began as a long-running community joke eventually became official merchandise.
I designed the t-shirt as part of PAYDAY's ongoing dialogue with its player community, and the concept later became part of the franchise's 10th Anniversary celebration through in-game content.

Celebrating a Decade of PAYDAY
PAYDAY's 10th Anniversary brought together promotional campaigns, community events, new in-game content and retrospective storytelling, celebrating the franchise and the community that helped sustain it for a decade.

PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure

PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure
To support a seasonal sale campaign, the marketing team created PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure, a retro-inspired browser experience set in the PAYDAY universe. I created the visual assets and pixel-art graphics used throughout the project, helping transform a traditional sale promotion into a more engaging and interactive community experience.

Play PAYDAY 2: The Text Adventure

PLAY
PAYDAY:THE TEXT ADVENTURE HERE

Takeaway

Campaign Identity Systems

Building visual identities that could scale across key art, logos, websites, promotional assets and multiple content releases.


Long-Term Franchise Marketing

Supporting a live-service game through years of campaign development, event branding, community initiatives and ongoing content production.

Collaborative Creative Leadership
Working across marketing, artists, stakeholders and community-facing projects to turn ideas into cohesive campaigns and player-facing experiences.

Campaign Identity Systems

Building visual identities that could scale across key art, logos, websites, promotional assets and multiple content releases.


Long-Term Franchise Marketing

Supporting a live-service game through years of campaign development, event branding, community initiatives and ongoing content production.


Collaborative Creative Leadership
Working across marketing, artists, stakeholders and community-facing projects to turn ideas into cohesive campaigns and player-facing experiences.

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