Overview
Role
City Runner is a high-concept, cyberpunk-inspired brand universe set in the year 2060. Focused on retrofitted muscle cars and neon-drenched rebellion, this project explores how immersive world-building can extend beyond design into a full marketing system. The marketing campaign brings the world of City Runner to life with a fictional product rollout, street-level poster series, and branded merchandise aimed at its underground audience.
Led all visual and brand direction for this fictional campaign. Developed a cohesive aesthetic strategy across digital and print marketing touchpoints. Designed posters, merchandise, and environmental applications to extend the City Runner universe into a tangible, marketable experience.
Process
Design System
Narrative Foundation
I began by crafting a world rooted in rebellion, surveillance, and synthetic intelligence. Set in a fractured future society, City Runner follows underground drivers who smuggle data and defy corporate control — a gritty, tech-saturated world with visual echoes of 1980s car culture.
I began by crafting a world rooted in rebellion, surveillance, and synthetic intelligence. Set in a fractured future society, City Runner follows underground drivers who smuggle data and defy corporate control — a gritty, tech-saturated world with visual echoes of 1980s car culture.
Visual Research & Style Development
Moodboards pulled from sources like Blade Runner, Akira, synthwave aesthetics, and classic Detroit muscle cars. I built a visual vocabulary around neon accents, glitch textures, and sharp, angular type.
Moodboards pulled from sources like Blade Runner, Akira, synthwave aesthetics, and classic Detroit muscle cars. I built a visual vocabulary around neon accents, glitch textures, and sharp, angular type.
Design Exploration
The logo system was designed to be aggressive and modular, combining racing forms with tactical iconography. From jackets to hovercar tags, the identity needed to feel adaptable to streetwear, rebellion, and in-world propaganda.
The logo system was designed to be aggressive and modular, combining racing forms with tactical iconography. From jackets to hovercar tags, the identity needed to feel adaptable to streetwear, rebellion, and in-world propaganda.
Logo & Wordmark: Inspired by racetrack typography and digital distortion, built for flexibility across environments and tech gear.
Typography: A monospace-inspired sans-serif typeface combined with angled display text to mirror speed and tension.
Color Palette: A punchy blend of acid green, neon magenta, and black — built to glow under virtual light or print gritty on metal.
Merch & Gear: Hoodies, tactical jackets, helmet decals, and resistance patches. Each designed to feel diegetic — as if worn by runners in the world.
Promotional Mockups: In-world billboard ads, vehicle wraps, glitch posters, and animated teasers.
Design Solution
Outcome
The visuals lean into glitch textures, neon gradients, and industrial typography—echoing the chaos and energy of City Runner’s world. Promotional posters were designed to feel like underground transmissions, blending retro race iconography with corporate rebellion. Merchandise designs reinforce brand identity, with bold icon systems and narrative tie-ins. Each application connects back to the central world narrative, ensuring brand cohesion from web to wall.
This campaign demonstrates how concept-driven storytelling can be translated into a full brand experience. From collectible merch drops to in-universe ads, the design system adapts seamlessly across media. City Runner’s marketing arm reinforces its lore and identity while delivering real-world brand-building tactics. The result is a scalable system that merges fiction, design, and strategy—showcasing how immersive marketing can push beyond the screen.
Logo & Identity System
Developed a gritty, cyberpunk-inspired identity system featuring a primary CR emblem, alternate lockups, and glitch-faction symbols. Built for high-impact use across apparel, posters, and digital media.
Apparel Design
Created a streetwear-inspired clothing line with custom screen-printed graphics tied to City Runner's lore. Each piece represents a faction or slogan, designed for retail, pop-ups, or fictional campaign rollouts.
Print & Posters
Designed promotional posters and zine-style prints to reinforce worldbuilding and faction identity. Includes glitchy overlays, rebellion-themed phrases, and urban textures for an underground aesthetic.
Environmental Mockups
Applied the brand to signage, billboards, and urban storefronts to visualize real-world usage. Simulated launch scenarios for campaigns, merchandise, and event branding.
Design Process
This early layout sketch explores character positioning, vehicle placement, and typographic hierarchy for the "City Runner: Brothers to the End" poster. It served as a foundational guide for the final composition, helping define mood, symmetry, and focal points. Sketching at this stage allowed me to test visual pacing and balance between narrative elements before refining in full color.
