HEATSTROKE /branding/

The visual identity for HEATSTROKE is rooted in expressive chaos and nostalgic rebellion, drawing heavily from Y2K aesthetics and early-2000s consumer pop culture. Designed to disrupt the typical hot sauce category, the branding embraces a maximalist, emotionally charged look that blurs the line between product and performance.​​​​​​​

Typography features raw, handwritten forms with irregular baselines and intentional imperfections, evoking immediacy, urgency, and a DIY attitude. This “written-in-a-rush” aesthetic reinforces the product’s dramatic persona and the impulsive nature of heat cravings.

The color palette is bold and deliberately jarring — with firetruck reds, VHS-inspired blacks, and creamy, skin-like tones. These hues are often overlaid with digital artifacts, scanner grain, or pixel distortion to simulate visual “heat,” echoing both physical spice and emotional intensity.

Imagery relies on editorial-style compositions with flash-heavy lighting, film grain, and oversaturated colors — visually referencing Y2K advertising, teen magazine spreads, and early digital photography. Subjects are styled as hyper-expressive, glamorously unhinged characters caught mid-action, enhancing the performative quality of the brand.

Textures and graphic treatments (e.g. warped type, photocopied patterns, and glitch effects) introduce a tactile, analog energy into an otherwise digital world, reinforcing Heatstroke’s identity as a sensorial and aesthetic overload.

thank you && stay spicy

follow my work on instagram: notblankdesign