Tea Party is an Overwatch Contenders team competing in the North America West region. I boarded the team as they completed a third-place run through Contenders Trials and was offered the opportunity to oversee the visual direction of their 2019 Season 2
graphics.
The direction taken was to use the "Tea Party" theme in a whimsical, cozy, personal fashion. This style stands out from the usual Contenders fare by favoring a softer and warmer palette while still maintaining clear Overwatch elements through the use of flat graphics of in-game items and characters. The flat lay style and warm temperature create the illusion of intimacy, which is further developed by the use of a playing card motif to maintain a playful atmosphere.
For each opponent, I designed a custom teabag and beverage variant in line with each opponent's basic color, theme, and narrative– for example, the Wave Check design reflects both their sea theme (oceanic elements) and vibrant vibe (avant-garde drink) while the Revival design of lemon honey tea both plays with their distinct yellow color and touches upon their narrative of old players (traditional drink) reuniting after hardship (sweet/sour). These variations bring life to the graphics by incorporating the other teams into the Tea Party frame and narrative.
