Project / Call of Duty: Black Ops 3: Campaign Badge System

Client / Treyarch, Activision/Blizzard

Services / Art Direction, UI Design, Illustration

Insight

Designing UI for Call of Duty Black Ops III required working within a highly defined art system, where every asset had to align with the game’s visual tone, scale, and clarity. The campaign badge set was crafted to support player progression, while reinforcing the narrative themes of elite training, cybernetic enhancement, and earned status.

Project

This project was part of a much larger UI and progression system I helped shape across Black Ops III, creating over 100 unique icons and assets spanning Campaign, Zombies, Multiplayer Prestige, and Arena modes. As my role deepened, I led complex systems design that boosted player engagement and enriched the franchise’s visual identity. Among the many systems I contributed to, this campaign icon set remains a favorite, a focused visual language crafted with constraint, narrative logic, and care. Inspired by custom military patches, each badge was designed to feel tactile, symbolic, and earned, like something a player would proudly wear.

UI System

The Black Ops III single-player progression badges totaled 20 icons, thoughtfully grouped in sets of three. Each trio centers on a primary motif - notably the digital heart and snake symbols - which evolve in complexity and emotional intensity as players advance. Early badges feel simple and grounded, while later ones grow more intricate, culminating in a final design that channels the peak energy and balance of the player’s journey.

This progression not only reflects gameplay milestones but also visually narrates the emotional arc of the campaign, connecting players to the story through layered symbolism and refined design.

Explore

When Call of Duty Black Ops III launched in the final quarter of 2015 the full
collection of icons awarded players with a unique campaign experience that helped push players to explore all aspects of the game.

Impact

My work on Black Ops II and III helped build strong and engaging UI and progression systems. This experience led to similar system design work on Black Ops IV, where I continued creating badges and progression elements across different game modes. I’m proud to have contributed alongside such an incredible team, focusing on making player experiences clear, rewarding, and full of heart.