League of Legends is a global esports platform where teams go head-to-head in a battle for victory. It’s defined by key calendar moments like the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), an international face-off at the heart of the competitive season.BUCK partnered with Riot Games to bring the visual identity for MSI 2025 to life, spanning branding, design, and motion. This close, cross-disciplinary effort brought energy and cohesion to one of League’s flagship events.

Sports Energy, Gaming Spirit

As the League’s visuals moved beyond the fantasy universe, we looked to sports branding, drawing on bold type, adaptable grids, and layered graphics. Combined with the in-game aesthetics, we landed on a visual system that felt competitive, global, and unmistakably League.

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Igniting the Fire Within

The direction was shaped by the theme, “ignite the fire within.” To bring this idea to life, we built a system that merged electric forms with hand-drawn gestures, capturing both the intensity and emotion behind the matches. Every visual and motion choice reflected the attitude and pace of MSI.

BUCK delivered a full design toolkit: updated logos, color palettes, grid systems, typography, graphic assets, and motion. Built for flexibility and scale, it rolled out across live events, print, and digital platforms.

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We used a reduced frame rate to give the identity's motion more energy and dynamism. In general, larger movements tend to resolve in just four hold keyframes, as shown above.

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The 2025 MSI identity captures the tournament’s intensity with bold textures, striking patterns, and strong typography. It marks a new season and spotlights the champions on their path to Worlds.

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Credits

BUCK

Executive Creative Director Vincent Lammers

Head of Production Carolina Brandão

Associate Creative Director Daniel Rodrigues

Executive Producer Justin Harris

Producer Jose Tirado Galan

Art Director Rasmus Stenberg, Estefan Richter

Animation Director Daniel Rodrigues, Joe Brooks

2D Animation Lead Marco van der Vlag

Designers Chris Markland, Rasmus Stenberg, Estefan Richter, Lucas Ramos, Florian Stumpe, Bernd Bousard, Felipe de Leonardo Figols, Alessandro Issao Nakabachi, Léo Imbert

Animators Laurentiu Lunic, John Stewart, Otilija Morozaite, Nicolas Grandry, Riccardo Agostinelli