Case Study
02 / Death by Zero
Brand Strategy / Creative Direction / Fashion / eCommerce
Role /
Brand Management & Creative Lead
Death by Zero is an independent fashion label built around provocative design, irreverent humour and a strong point of view.
I initially joined the brand as the designer behind its graphic T-shirt collections and supporting creative assets. My role quickly expanded as the business evolved, ultimately leading to responsibility for the brand’s visual direction, positioning, creative systems and wider rebrand.
The project brought together hands-on design, brand strategy, content direction, eCommerce and creative leadership - transforming Death by Zero from a collection of bold products into a more cohesive and recognisable brand.
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Brand strategy
Brand positioning
Customer personas
Creative direction
Brand identity refinement
Visual system development
Brand guidelines
Graphic apparel design
eCommerce creative
Campaign assets
Social media content
Email marketing
Product presentation
Content direction
Team recruitment
Cross-functional creative leadership
The Challenge
Death by Zero had a distinctive attitude and strong creative potential, but the brand needed greater consistency across its identity, product design and customer-facing touchpoints.
As the business grew, the visual output had developed across different channels without a fully defined system behind it. The brand required a clearer understanding of:
Who it was speaking to
How it should be positioned
What made it different within the fashion market
How its visual identity should appear across product, digital and campaign touchpoints
How its tone and creative direction could remain provocative without becoming inconsistent
What skills and partners were needed to support its next stage of growth
The objective was to retain the rebellious personality of the brand while creating a stronger strategic and visual foundation.
From Designer to Brand Lead
My initial focus was on creating the graphic language of the product range.
I developed distinctive T-shirt artwork alongside the supporting assets required to present and market each collection, including product flat lays, eCommerce imagery, social content and email campaign creative.
This work helped establish the early visual character of Death by Zero, but it also revealed the need for a more unified brand system.
As my role expanded, I moved beyond individual deliverables and began leading the broader creative direction of the business — connecting the product, brand, customer experience and marketing output under one clear vision.
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Graphic apparel concepts and T-shirt collections
Brand positioning and strategic direction
Customer and audience definition
Brand identity refinement
Creative direction
Visual system development
eCommerce artwork and product assets
Product flat lays and campaign imagery
Social media creative
Email marketing design
Content direction
Brand guidelines
Creative review and brand consistency
Recruitment and coordination of specialist partners
Brand Positioning
The rebrand began by clarifying what Death by Zero stood for and who it needed to speak to.
Rather than positioning the label as simply another graphic apparel brand, the strategy focused on its distinctive personality: bold, culturally aware, irreverent and intentionally provocative.
This strategic work created a clearer foundation for both the visual identity and future campaign direction.
Product & Apparel Design
The product range was central to the Death by Zero identity.
Each shirt design needed to feel visually strong in its own right while still belonging to the wider brand. The artwork combined bold typography, illustration, cultural references and provocative concepts to create pieces that felt more like wearable statements than conventional branded merchandise.
The design process considered:
Concept development
Graphic composition
Typography
Print placement
Garment colour
Production limitations
Collection cohesion
Product photography and presentation
Digital launch assets
This created a more connected relationship between the apparel itself and the wider brand experience.
Visual Identity & Brand System
The visual identity was refined to create greater consistency across product, eCommerce, content and marketing.
The goal was not to soften the brand’s personality, but to give it enough structure to remain recognisable wherever it appeared.
eCommerce & Content
The brand needed to translate consistently across every customer-facing digital touchpoint.
I developed and directed creative across:
Product imagery and flat lays
eCommerce banners
Collection launches
Organic social content
Paid and promotional assets
Email marketing campaigns
Product storytelling
Campaign imagery
Brand-led content
The content system was designed to maintain the same attitude across channels while still allowing each collection and campaign to have its own creative expression.
Building the Creative Team
As the scope of the rebrand expanded, I identified and recruited specialist partners to support the next stage of the business.
This included:
Full-stack development
Front-end development
UX design
Digital marketing
Marketing management
eCommerce project management
I worked collaboratively with these partners to align website development, user experience, marketing and content activity with the newly defined brand direction.
This allowed Death by Zero to move from isolated creative outputs towards a more connected brand, digital and marketing ecosystem.
Creative Leadership
As Brand Lead and Manager, I acted as the link between strategy, design, content, eCommerce and external specialists.
My role involved:
Setting the creative direction
Reviewing work for brand consistency
Translating business goals into creative priorities
Coordinating collaborators
Presenting and defending design decisions
Maintaining momentum across multiple workstreams
Ensuring the brand remained distinctive as it evolved
This required both high-level thinking and close attention to the detail of each customer touchpoint.
The Outcome
The rebrand created a clearer & more cohesive foundation for Death by Zero.
The work unified its strategic positioning, visual identity, product design, eCommerce presentation and content direction, giving the brand a more consistent and recognisable presence across channels.
It also established the creative systems and specialist team required to support future campaigns, product launches and continued brand development.
Commercial Outcome
A one-month sales campaign that I developed & delivered independently generated $12,000 in revenue.
The campaign included the creative concept, campaign assets, eCommerce graphics, social content and email marketing rollout.
