Art Direction

[Client] Nebula is a video-on-demand streaming service provider. Launched by the Standard Broadcast content management agency in 2019 to complement its creators' other distribution channels (primarily YouTube), the platform has since accumulated over 680,000 subscribers, making it the largest creator-owned internet streaming platform. [Problem] Following the success of RealLifeLore's Modern Conflicts and War Room, the producers at Nebula developed a new documentary-style series about the most insane and eccentric modern rulers, dictators, and kings of the modern era. They wanted to draw in not only the existing fans of RealLifeLore but also bring in fans of true crime and mystery. With thousands of shows available to viewers, capturing audience attention through compelling visuals that clearly signal the intended genre is essential. [Solution] The show itself explores “eccentric modern rulers” through a documentary lens, so the challenge wasn’t just historical accuracy—it was tone. We needed to communicate spectacle, instability, and personality in a single frame. I created visual style that brought together 'prestige documentary' and 'stylized political surrealism' for the Uday Hussein episode—rich, symmetrical visuals that subtly break to convey instability. This approach made the series instantly eye-catching while visually communicating the show’s core theme of power and corruption. It became the template for the series, boosting consistency and driving stronger engagement on episode launches.