I was commissioned by a local company to make a beer can label inspired by the 1986 arcade game Rampage. The design was to be charged with Memphis energy and spirit, so I decided to reference popular sports mascots such as the Memphis Grizzly, Tiger, and Redbird.

Initially, my sketches were more in line with the scary monster designs of the original source material. As the project progressed, and I realized the limitations that come with working with 8x8 sized pixels on a grid, I had to simplify my ideas. I decided to go in a different direction in the end, and chose facial expressions and poses that were brighter and more positive. Furthermore, I went with a lighter, less heavily saturated city scape in the background to bring focus to the foreground figures, and to avoid overly dark printing of the final product. I tried to stick to a limited color palette, but used blue and green for the buildings as a direct call back to the original game. I had fun referencing the Memphis skyline and included important landmarks such as the Hernando de Soto Bridge (aka M-Bridge) and Memphis Pyramid.

On a personal note, I was overjoyed that this project gave me a chance to experience a lot of nostalgia for a game my little brother and I played together when we were younger. While the 2006 version we played on the GameCube featured 3D graphics, I was excited to reference the original 1986 game's 8-bit graphics with my new skills in pixel art. I also got to revisit positive childhood memories of going to various baseball, basketball, and football games in Memphis as a child. Ultimately, it all felt like a nice full circle moment and I am proud of this tribute to a great game and a great city.