Hands-on Branding 01

PROGRESSIVE PRODUCT LINE BRANDING : NEXLINK

A Dawn of a New Era

Hands on Art Direction for the next generation of Table Games Progressives

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Logo Animation Direction:

The Brief: Establish a unique, fast-paced, "next-gen" animation language that enhances brand impact and progressive linking nature.

The Focus: Drive intentional kinetic movement through the central 'X' to maximize brand recall on the casino floor.

The Collaboration: Partnered closely with the Senior Animator, providing direction that translated abstract brand concepts into a dynamic, polished final asset.

NEXLINK Logo Design

NEXLINK is Light & Wonder’s premier Table Games Progressive line, serving as the next-generation upgrade to the legacy GM Atlas line.

As the Art Director, I led the visual development of the NEXLINK identity from initial genesis to final asset delivery. High-stakes product branding requires balancing distinct creative ambition with corporate alignment; the core challenge was navigating executive and leadership inputs to find the sweet spot between a trend-forward aesthetic and corporate longevity.

Creative Vision

My goal was to establish a modern, clean, and powerful visual identity using high-contrast sans-serif typography. The final design anchors on a stylized, memorable 'X' that symbolizes connectivity, paired with a subtle "dawn of a new era" gradient effect.

The Process

To maintain alignment across stakeholders, the project was executed in three distinct phases:

Phase 1: Exploration – Concepting, typography studies, and brand positioning.
Phase 2: Selection – Narrowing down directions and iterating based on executive feedback.
Phase 3: Finalization –Iterating on 2 major finalist designs and combining the best of each to create the best fusion design.

Debuted at G2E 2025, this promotional reel showcases three featured products from our lineup. I fully spearheaded the creative direction for two flagship titles—MGL and Imperial Lanterns—while providing art direction support on production art for Blazing 777. I personally designed the core logos and executed the initial concept mockups to set the visual benchmark, then guided my creative team through pipeline development to final art delivery.

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Director

Explore Isaak's impressive art director and art portfolio pieces.

About me

Contact

isaaklien@gmail.com

626.592.0697