The hottest new series is coming this summer! Don’t miss Valley Heat in action as Roman and Dominic crack down on a case of missing terminals with their brand-new go-to gadget to help them along the way.
This campaign project was meant to break away from the traditional, bringing the movement, energy, and action of a classic 80s parody
buddy-cop entertainment series to life. Even better, it became an opportunity to introduce Genie, a brand-new helpful Sales Enablement Platform created for PayCompass Agents that I entirely branded. Genie became the perfect addition to Roman and Dominic’s toolkit, and their new go-to gadget for cracking the case!
Treating Valley Heat as an actual series coming
to screens, my goal was to build a complete experience around the brand, from a fully developed brand identity package to promotional marketing materials that make the series feel ready for its debut.
The Story
With the core of Valley Heat established, the next question was how to showcase the concept in a way that could genuinely sell it like a real show premiere. The goal was to capture the visual language of a classic 80s crime-comedy series so authentically that the audience would stop, take a second look, and appreciate the humor behind it. The first step was establishing its identity. The “network” logo became the heart of the story, setting the visual foundation for how the rest of the campaign would come together. I hand-drew the logo and paired it with a grainy texture to create the feel of a vintage television series, while using warm-toned colors reflecting both the Valley setting of Phoenix, Arizona.
From there, the campaign evolved beyond the logo and centered around the stars of the show. Played by two PayCompass employees, Roman and Dominic became the recognizable faces of Valley Heat and another core piece for how the campaign would come to life. Their characters, personalities, and partnership helped shape everything from the visual direction to the promotional materials, making the campaign feel less like a collection of designs and more like an actual series preparing for its premiere. Curious to see what these two are up to? Tune in to find out!
Motion Graphics
Email Designs
Introducing the world to our stars and entering the heat, I created these email designs to give our audience a teaser of what they were in for. While I was constantly building email designs for each campaign show, I wanted to challenge myself to approach these differently, something beyond the traditional static email design that could bring the movement, action, and excitement of Valley Heat directly to the screen.
For each email asset, I created motion graphics that reinforced the core theme of the campaign. Each email starts with a GIF designed to immediately hook the audience, taking them through a visual journey of the Valley and giving a glimpse of what to expect. Just when the story seems to be over, another motion graphic brings the email to life once again, creating a final moment of excitement before tying everything together. Each animation was designed specifically around the theme of its corresponding email, from the introductory “show title poster” featuring a setting sun and trees breezing in the wind, to promotional materials featuring record-spinning soundtrack albums, and, best of all, the state-of-the-art technology behind Genie.
Promotional Materials
What would the premiere of Valley Heat be without promotional materials to bring the campaign full circle? With plenty of options on the table, I wanted to carry the retro aesthetic beyond the screen
and into the physical world. Each piece was designed to feel like
something that could genuinely come from the show, from
promotional merchandise to collectibles made for fans.
Cardboard Cutout
The cardboard cutout was a clever
way to showcase Genie as part of the show while introducing the new
product to the audience. The display showcases Roman and Dominic presenting Genie as it constantly
shifts between their phones and watches as they put the platform
to use. I created a hand-painted treatment on the characters, inspired
by entertainment posters from the
80s, bringing that nostalgic illustrated quality into the campaign while giving the cutout that distinct Valley Heat look.
T-Shirts
The shirts were designed as both trade show giveaways and a way for employees to represent the show by showing up in style. I wanted these shirts to feel like a dramatic promotional poster, with Roman and Dominic positioned as the main visual and using the hand-painted treatment for visual consistency. This helped turn the merchandise into another extension of the Valley Heat world rather than simply branded apparel.
Cassette Tapes
Hand-making cassette tapes to promote Valley Heat’s original soundtrack became a unique way to give fans a physical souvenir of the show and, of course, a chance to listen to some classic yacht rock. For the cassette cover,
I wanted to shift into something more polished and sleek, capturing the feeling of winding down, relaxing, and cruising into the night. The reason for this side chance, was that this limited edition tapes were handed out to our first 100 fans that showed up to the booth!
Every piece down to the very last detail was created to make
Valley Heat feel like more than a campaign. I created it to feel like
a series ready for its premiere. The case may be closed, but
Roman and Dominic’s story is just getting started, take a look!
Get to know more about Genie!