Mortal Kombat 11 Tournament Campaign

Mortal Kombat 11 Tournament Campaign

By Maurice J. Miller (Charlotte, NC)

When I was invited to create a comprehensive campaign for a “Mortal Kombat 11 Tournament,” the assignment encompassed three channels: social media, print materials, and the dedicated website. The tournament centered on the 2019 release of the game Mortal Kombat 11. Wikipedia+1

The campaign was proudly endorsed by three local organizations: Fox & Hound (Charlotte), The Thread Charlotte, and All Things Social. These partners brought venue, community, and social-amplification to the event.

About the Game: Mortal Kombat 11

For context, here’s a snapshot of the title around which the campaign was built:

• Mortal Kombat 11 is the eleventh main installment in the legendary Mortal Kombat fighting-game franchise, developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Wikipedia+1

• It launched April 23, 2019 (with various platform ports following). Wikipedia+1

• Gameplay highlights include 2.5D fighting mechanics, new features such as “Fatal Blows” and “Krushing Blows,” a deep story mode, and robust online versus play. Wikipedia+1

• The game brought together returning characters and new fighters, and leaned into both nostalgic and contemporary appeal making it a strong anchor for a tournament campaign.

By choosing MK11 as the tournament focus, the campaign tapped into an engaged, competitive gaming community one where strong visuals, bold typography, thematic energy and social shareability matter.

The Campaign Design & Strategy

My design strategy and execution covered three major touchpoints:

1. Social Media Visuals & Activation On platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, the posts had to:

• Capture the intensity of the game (bold hero-images, fight glows, high contrast)

• Announce tournament logistics (date, venue, registration) clearly

• Drive engagement (hashtags, tagging Fox & Hound, The Thread Charlotte, All Things Social)

• Maintain visual unity with print and web assets so the brand felt cohesive

2. Print Materials For the local venues and in-person promotion, I designed:

• Event posters/flyers for Fox & Hound and The Thread Charlotte physical locations

• Registration cards / hand-outs for gamers and spectators

• Brand usage guidelines so All Things Social’s sponsorship logos, the Mortal Kombat 11 game brand, and our tournament branding co-exist without visual conflict

3. Website Landing Page A dedicated website served as the central hub. Key elements included:

• A hero banner referencing Mortal Kombat 11’s aesthetic (sharp angles, fight-scene dynamic)

• Tournament rules, bracket view, registration form, partner acknowledgements

• Integration of the three partner logos (Fox & Hound, The Thread Charlotte, All Things Social)

• Mobile-friendly design given the community’s social-mobile habits

• Social share triggers built in (so attendees could easily post “I’m registered” or “See you at the arena”)

The Collaborative and Brand-Partner Lens

Working with local partners added meaningful layers:

• Fox & Hound: Provided the venue energy, physical location for tournament finals, and on-site promotional presence.

• The Thread Charlotte: A creative community hub in Charlotte; their involvement lent the event local culture credibility, tying the gaming/fight theme to a broader creative audience.

• All Things Social: Managed influencer and social amplification making sure our social posts reached beyond the direct gaming circle, into local creators and communities.

This trio of endorsements helped elevate the tournament from a niche gaming event to a broader community cultural moment something aligned with my practice of visual arts, underground culture, and cross-genre media.

What the Campaign Achieved

• Visual cohesion across channels: social, print, and web all carried the same branding language mirroring Mortal Kombat 11’s boldness and our local event’s energy.

• Local community penetration: By leveraging The Thread and All Things Social, we reached creative professionals, gamers, and event-goers in Charlotte not just traditional tournament attendees.

• Brand-partnership alignment: The presence of Fox & Hound provided an in-person anchor; the three partners each added a dimension venue, creative community, social reach ensuring the campaign was multi-modal.

• Content value: The campaign visuals and website landing page remain strong portfolio pieces—they show not only design skill but strategic thinking, brand partnership management, and event-based promotion.

Reflection & Takeaways

For me as a designer and art-director working across visual arts, UX, and media (via Millsbury Media), this project reaffirmed several important truths:

• Even when working with a strong game brand (like Mortal Kombat), local adaptation and contextualization matter. The game brand gave us assets, but crafting campaign visuals for Charlotte’s local scene required tailoring.

• Multi-channel coherence is vital: the social, print, and web pieces must feel part of the same story. Disparate visual styles dilute impact.

• Partner-brand alignment is both an opportunity and a constraint: you gain reach and credibility, but you also need to respect each partner’s brand identity and audience.

• Designing for events offers high visibility (live venue, social shares, on-site brand presence) but also demands logistics awareness print specs, on-site signage, digital share optimization.

• The intersection of nerd culture (gaming), local creative culture (Charlotte), and underground/alternative media (which I habitually operate in) creates rich opportunities to deliver distinctive campaigns not just “standard” tournament posters but visually elevated pieces with story-depth and context.

Final Thoughts

This “Mortal Kombat 11 Tournament” campaign isn’t just a graphic-design piece it’s a story of brand, place, culture and engagement. For the gamers who registered, for the community in Charlotte who showed up, and for the partners who backed it this campaign delivered an experience. And for my portfolio, it stands as proof of what I do best: merging visual arts, strategic branding, culture-driven media, and event amplification.