When I joined the Esports World Cup project in Riyadh, the direction was simple: make it look “not esports.” The visual references I received were high-fashion portraits on white backgrounds, stripped of effects and distractions. That immediately shaped my goal: to create something clean, modern, and timeless.

While reviewing the event’s key visuals, I noticed the triangle symbol used throughout the tournament. It also appears as the physical key that winners place into the totem at the end of the event to claim their title. I began exploring the triangle as a design element, experimenting with size, depth, and placement until it worked both for individual portraits and full team photos.

From the very beginning, I knew the set should be all white. The simplicity of that space would allow every detail of the player to stand out. Together with a 3D team, I developed 3D remders and technical drawings before construction began. On site in Riyadh, three identical sets were built to handle the massive number of players photographed each day during the eight-week event.

Lighting was one of the biggest challenges. The setup had to remain clean and bright, but if the light became too flat, the triangle shape would no longer be visible. After several tests, I found the right balance: just enough shadow to define the form without losing the purity of the white space. That look then had to be duplicated across all three sets so every photo, regardless of location, matched perfectly.

Over the course of the event, more than ten photographers and twenty editors worked on the project. To keep the output consistent, I created a framework covering camera settings, angles, and focal lengths, along with a custom handcrafted Lightroom preset that set the foundation for light and color adjustments. The system made it possible for everyone to work independently while producing images that felt unified. It allowed us to keep up with the sheer scale of the event. 

During the eight weeks, these three sets produced an astonishing 5725 retouched portraits. The final portraits were used across broadcast, social media, and editorial content, becoming a defining visual of the Esports World Cup.

Michal Blicharz, VP Special Projects at EFG, later described it as “the most brand-building set in EFG history.”