Maybelline × Fortnite

Overview

Maybelline partnered with Fortnite to launch a large-scale gaming challenge experience aimed at engaging younger audiences through competitive gameplay, community participation, and branded digital experiences.

The objective was to design a campaign platform that bridges the worlds of beauty, gaming, and entertainment — while creating a seamless experience for users to register, participate, track challenges, and engage with the event.

Rather than building a traditional promotional website, the goal was to create an interactive campaign ecosystem that feels native to gaming culture while remaining aligned with Maybelline’s global brand identity.

My Role

Lead Product Designer & Experience Designer

Responsibilities:

• UX strategy
• Campaign experience design
• UI design
• Information architecture
• User flow design
• Responsive design
• Interaction design
• Developer collaboration

The Challenge

Gaming audiences expect highly engaging and visually immersive digital experiences. At the same time, campaign platforms must remain simple enough for users to quickly understand participation requirements and complete registrations without friction. The challenge was to:

• Create a gaming-first experience while maintaining Maybelline branding.
• Simplify tournament registration flows.
• Support participants across multiple countries.
• Communicate challenge timelines clearly.
• Balance entertainment with usability.
• Ensure accessibility across desktop and mobile platforms.

Design Objectives

Create a gaming-native experience

The platform needed to feel familiar to Fortnite players and esports audiences rather than a traditional brand microsite.

Drive participation

Reduce friction in registration and onboarding to maximise campaign engagement.

Maintain brand consistency

Blend Maybelline’s visual identity with Fortnite-inspired gaming aesthetics.

Simplify event communication

Ensure users can easily understand:

• Registration requirements
• Challenge schedules
• Participation rules
• Reward structures

Design Approach

Gaming-first visual language

The visual direction was heavily inspired by gaming interfaces and esports event experiences. Key elements included high-contrast layouts, bold typography, character-driven visuals, dark immersive backgrounds, dynamic content blocks, and competitive event styling — to immediately communicate that this was a gaming experience rather than a traditional marketing campaign.

Character-centric storytelling

Fortnite characters became central visual anchors throughout the experience. These visuals helped increase engagement, create familiarity for players, strengthen the campaign identity, and build excitement around participation.

Action-oriented layouts

Every section was designed to move users toward participation. Instead of overwhelming visitors with content, the experience focuses on event information, registration, challenge visibility, and reward communication.

UX Considerations

Multi-country registration

The platform supports participants across multiple regions. Country selection and onboarding flows were designed to reduce confusion and improve accessibility.

Challenge tracking

Users needed clear visibility into challenge phases, participation windows, event schedules, and progress timelines. A structured challenge timeline was introduced to simplify understanding and improve engagement.

Mobile accessibility

Since a large portion of gaming audiences access campaigns through mobile devices, the experience was optimised for responsive interaction and readability.

Information hierarchy

Campaign details were organised into clear sections to prevent information overload and allow users to quickly find relevant information.

Key Outcomes

Strong campaign visibility

The experience successfully communicates the event structure, participation process, and competitive nature of the challenge.

Enhanced user engagement

Gaming-inspired visuals and character-driven design help increase user interest and immersion.

Simplified participation flow

Users can quickly understand how to join, compete, and track challenge activities.

Consistent brand integration

The final experience blends Maybelline’s branding with Fortnite’s gaming culture without feeling disconnected or forced.

Reflection

This project explored an interesting intersection between beauty, gaming, and digital engagement. One of the most valuable lessons was understanding how different audience groups interact with branded experiences.

Traditional campaign websites often prioritise messaging, while gaming audiences prioritise interaction, progression, and participation. Designing for that behaviour required creating an experience that feels exciting and competitive while remaining intuitive and accessible.

What I’d Improve Today

Looking back, there are opportunities to expand the experience further:

• Add deeper gamification systems.
• Introduce player progression tracking.
• Create personalised challenge dashboards.
• Include community leaderboards.
• Showcase participation statistics.
• Add richer motion and transition systems.
• Develop more immersive event storytelling experiences.

These enhancements would strengthen long-term engagement and create a more comprehensive gaming campaign ecosystem.

Design Principles

Participation over promotion

Focus on user involvement rather than passive content consumption.

Design for competitive energy

Create visual momentum that reflects gaming culture and event participation.

Simplify complexity

Large-scale campaign information should feel easy to understand and navigate.

Build excitement through interaction

Every section should encourage curiosity, engagement, or action.

Project Highlights

• Gaming campaign platform

• Fortnite event experience

• Multi-country registration flow

• Event participation UX

• Challenge tracking system

• Responsive campaign design

• User engagement strategy

• Interactive experience design

• Project Type: Gaming Campaign Platform

• Industry: Gaming / Entertainment / Beauty

• Platform: Responsive Web

• Focus Areas: Campaign Design, UX Design, User Engagement, Event Experience, Interactive Storytelling

People join in when joining in feels like part of the play.

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