Discord Checkpoint

We partnered with Discord to debut Checkpoint, their first ever end-of-year wrap, giving fans the stat breakdown they’d been asking for and a new way to see their year on Discord.

The Heist

Social

2025

Background

I had the exciting opportunity to work on Checkpoint, Discord’s first-ever end-of-year wrap-up. I contributed to designing static social assets, award graphics, and developmental style frames for the launch video. Huge props to The Heist Team and our partners at Discord for bringing such an exciting project to life.

Launching Checkpoint

To launch Checkpoint, Discord’s first-ever Year-In-Review, we created a fast paced, high-energy launch video built for social. Checkpoint is Discord’s first-ever end-of-year wrap, showcasing how users spent their year on the platform. We created a fast, scroll-stopping launch video designed to tease the experience and drive users into the platform to unlock their stats. Built around bold flip counters and the core Checkpoint visual language, the piece quickly cycles through key stats before landing on a message to “Get your Checkpoint.” Music and SFX pull from cozy cooking and arcade games, with satisfying dings punctuating each reveal and giving the spot the energy of an in-game achievement.

Expanding the World of Checkpoint

To extend the moment beyond the hero video, we translated the same visual language into a toolkit of social assets. We created blog banners and infographics highlighting platform-wide stats, along with templates that frame Checkpoint’s game awards and top creators. A dedicated awards graphic tied the recognition program together, giving Discord a cohesive system to celebrate the year across all of social.

To extend the moment beyond the hero video, we translated the same visual language into a toolkit of social assets. We created blog banners and infographics highlighting platform-wide stats, along with templates that frame Checkpoint’s game awards and top creators. A dedicated awards graphic tied the recognition program together, giving Discord a cohesive system to celebrate the year across all of social.

Initial Explorations

To define the visual language for Checkpoint, we started by exploring two distinct creative directions for the launch video. Both leaned into Discord’s playful, game-inspired world, but each offered a different way to showcase stats and motion. Presenting both side by side let the team quickly align on how bold, kinetic, and “Discord” the final piece should feel.

The brand identity for Expose Films is a love letter to cinema, drawing inspiration from the rich history of film while adding a modern, human touch. The visual direction incorporates a nostalgic aesthetic, referencing the textures, typography, and design trends of the 1970s and 1980s. The pastel color palette serves as a subtle nod to its Canadian identity, giving the brand a warm and inviting presence.

The final identity emerged from multiple stages of development, initially exploring two different visual directions.

Two Distinct Explorations

Direction 1 amped up the energy with bold geometric forms, vivid color blocks, chunky icons, and high-impact type. Designed to feel loud, intentional, and always in motion. Direction 2 pulled directly from the Checkpoint product aesthetic, using wireframes, 3D icons, and dimensional type that glide through space, layering and parallaxing to create depth. Together, they gave Discord a clear choice between an expressive, graphic-forward world and a sleek, futuristic one rooted from the product.

To define the visual language for Checkpoint, we started by exploring two distinct creative directions for the launch video. Both leaned into Discord’s playful, game-inspired world, but each offered a different way to showcase stats and motion. Presenting both side by side let the team quickly align on how bold, kinetic, and “Discord” the final piece should feel.

Credits

Role: Designer

Executive Creative Director: Patrick Coleman

Creative Director: Ilgi Candar Dyer

Agency: The Heist

Client: Discord

Director of Production: Mike Kovacs

Executive Producer: Rae Leveridge

Producer: Marina Kotova

Motion Designer: Kyle Castro, Eloi Forrest, Cullen Parr

Director of Production: Mike Kovacs

Executive Producer: Rae Leveridge

Producer: Marina Kotova

Motion Designer: Kyle Castro, Eloi Forrest, Cullen Parr

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