IKEA - 8 BIT
Take your gaming to the next level—not just with your skills, but with your setup! IKEA’s new collection of must-have items are re-imagined in a nostalgic retro game style, offering the perfect upgrade for any gaming environment in their dual ad campaign.
CLIENT - IKEA Canada
ROLES - Graphic Designer / Illustrator
TOOLS - Adobe Photoshop
CREDITS
Agency - Rethink
Production - Tantrum Studio
Creative Director - Dominik Bochenski
Design Lead - Hayoung Na
Designer - Marie Kuba
Compositor - Bala D.
Compositor - Dan Ciancone
Animation - Jimmy Gill
Lighting & Rendering - Rogerio Miyagi
3D Lead - Steve Choptiany
Producer - Rebecca MacKillop
Producer - Margarita Reynes
The Brief
01
Inspired by the nostalgic charm of retro 8-bit games, IKEA puts a playful spin on their ad campaign, showcasing a new catalog of items tailored for the ultimate gaming setup.
To appeal to gamers of all types, I was tasked with leading the design and illustration of two distinct rooms—one for casual gamers (green) and another for more hardcore players (red). Working closely with my team member Marie Kubo we furnished each room with real Ikea furniture that has been re-imagined and designed using a pixel art style.
(BELOW) - Final Room Designs
The Process
02
During the preliminary design phase, a simplified 2D approach was used to present concept frames. This shifts the focus to the actual design of the structure and placement of the logo in order to get approvals before adding more realistic details and texture. However once presented, the clients had difficulty visualizing the end result with the 2D concepts being provided.
STAGE 1 - SMALL PIXELS
STAGE 2 - BIG PIXELS
STAGE 3 - FINAL PIXEL SIZE
The Solution
03
To ensure the concept can be understood by everyone involved in the process moving forward a different approach was used to develop the illustrations using a combination of realistic rendering and AI generation used in Adobe Photoshop. The AI provided a good quality base environment and realistic textures that clients were able to understand easily. The crystal texture and lighting was then rendered on top as this was a more detailed portion which required more customization.
STAGE 4 - COLOUR WASH
STAGE 5 - FINAL DESIGNS