Industry Craft > Art Direction

DAY OF RECKONING

BIGTIME CREATIVE SHOP, Riyadh / RIYADH SEASON / 2024

Awards:

Shortlisted Dubai Lynx
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Supporting Images
Supporting Images

Overview

Credits

Overview

Why is this work relevant for Industry Craft?

With an event like ‘Day of Reckoning’ - to a day of judgement for the boxers - where individual destinies would be decided, new champions emerge, and big names fell, it was only fitting we turned to an art style that personifies this event best – the Renaissance period - a period of rebirth or revitalization known for its depiction of biblical scenes. Our design meticulously mirrored that but with a modern twist. By seamlessly integrating photography, carefully selecting typography, and iconography, we achieved a 21st Century Renaissance visual system which we applied across various communication mediums and event materials.

Background:

Riyadh Season aimed to kick off an extensive global campaign to captivate boxing enthusiasts worldwide and draw attention to Saudi Arabia. This event held immense significance because, in the boxing world, it's a rarity for boxing elites to face each other, in order to safeguard their titles. However, this time, 16 fighters agreed to step into the ring, risking it all. Hence the name ‘Day of Reckoning’. The day would feature 8 fights, where rankings would witness significant changes, titles shift, and long-standing scores settled.

To match the magnitude of the event, Riyadh Season needed a full-fledged campaign that would drive Pay Per View subscriptions, increase ticket sales, and establish Saudi Arabia as a premier destination for hosting world-class boxing events. In addition, they also needed a visual system that could be applied across various event elements like signage, tickets, branding and the like.

Tell the jury about the art direction.

Drawing inspiration from 15th Century Renaissance period, the art direction wanted to capture

the biblical nature of this day of judgement for the boxers.

The tone and lighting matched the intensity of a typical ‘End of Days’ scene. As the fires of judgement erupting from the floor and reigning down from the heavens, added to its biblical iconography. All set behind the backdrop of the greatest arena in the history of mankind – The Roman Colosseum.

Giving a modern twist to this historical composition, was the seamless integration of photography of the fighters together with careful selection of a contemporary style of typography.