Robert Burns — Creative lead at large

Section: Creation / Showcase

Straight Outta Arkham

World-building for bad guys

My Pitch

I transform strategy into top creative with nothing lost in translation.

Working alongside key stakeholders across the studio, WB, and DC, our in-house creative team concepted the vision and set the tone for this larger-than-life antihero brand.

My Role

I partner with everyone. From designers and artists, to managers, even founders.

After our teaser dropped, Ed Boon tweeted, "Whoever came up with this... is a logo design genius!!" (See: Ed Boon's tweet)

My team and I created the identity, keyart, trailers, written tone, brand guide, and went on to manage the global marketing creative pipeline for all assets in support of WB's launch of this AAA title.

My Process

Define → discover → design. Develop → deploy → debrief. Two acts. Six steps. On repeat.

In the end, our marketing campaign maintained a 95% positive user sentiment right up until game launch.

Section: Connection / Showcase

No NPCs Allowed

Creative work for creative people

My Observation

Purpose is the brief nobody writes but everybody follows.

"You belong at Rocksteady" began as a recruitment line but became our studio philosophy.

My Belief

Culture is built from the inside out and it shows in the product.

Recruitment campaigns, event branding, awareness months, internal comms, merch. Even the work we did for ourselves was held to the same standard as the games we made.

My Responsibility

The audience's seat at the table is often with creative.

Taking inspiration from traditional African wax prints, our BHM identity was expression made authentic.

The studio's inclusiveness efforts maintain a 4.5 rating for DEI on Glassdoor.

"There are as many Black experiences as there are kinds of people." — Kayo Chingonyi, a Zambian-born British poet, talks about his experience of marginalisation. His work speaks to the richness and diversity of Black British life.

Section: Conviction / Showcase

Clif's Digital Ascent

Thought-leadership with pixels

My North Star

The future is a destination, always just beyond the horizon.

Old products to new markets. Clif invented the energy bar, but the company sold on shelves not screens. Working cross-functionally, I created the digital playbook that brought the entire catalogue to life online.

My Pursuit

Newness is my business.

Not just new creative — launching new products, new photography, new illustrations, new guides, new processes, new workflow, new pipelines, new systems — a whole new digital-first mindset.

My Principle

I believe in building systems, not just assets.

10,000 Amazon assets later, every flavour of every size of every product of every line of every brand now had a complete presence on the world's biggest digital shelf.

My Mantra

Be Like Water

A bit about me

I've worked with global brands. On category-defining products. At industry-darling studios. And on iconic franchises.

Looking forward to what's next...

Brand history

Warner Bros, Clif, Assassin's Creed, Harvard, Rocksteady, Ubisoft, Astro, Skullcandy, Batman, Far Cry, Nissan, Clorox, HP, UC Berkeley (Cal), DC.

I asked my favourite colleagues for a quote

Contact

Solutions > problems. Let's talk solutions.

Looking forward.