Behind the Scenes of the GTA VI x Miami Heat Vice City Collaboration
New behind-the-scenes images have revealed some of the design work that went into the upcoming GTA VI x Miami Heat "Vice City" collaboration, offering a closer look at how its distinctive artwork was created.
Graphic designer Arthur Traldi has shared a collection of images from his work on the project, which he describes as official artwork for the GTA VI Miami Heat Vice City collection created in partnership with Rockstar Games.
The images include sketches, alternative layouts and development work for the colourful "VICE" artwork that has featured prominently throughout the collaboration, providing a rare glimpse at the process behind an official piece of GTA VI marketing.
Designing Vice City
In a post sharing his work, Traldi explained that the project proved both challenging and enjoyable due to the number of individual elements that needed to be incorporated into the finished design.
"It was laborious and challenging, but it was fun to make. There were a lot of elements to insert while still maintaining the readability of VICE."
Traldi added that he believes the individual details ultimately help capture the atmosphere Rockstar is looking to establish around its fictional recreation of Miami.
"In the end, I think every detail conveys exactly that vibe of the Vice City waterfront."
The newly shared material demonstrates how numerous illustrations were combined to form the letters of VICE, with the finished artwork packed with references to the tropical setting and visual identity associated with GTA VI and Miami.
Rather than simply placing GTA VI and Miami Heat branding alongside one another, the artwork appears to have been designed specifically to blend the identities of the game, Vice City and Miami basketball culture into a single piece.
Inspired by the Original Vice City
In a separate post showing another piece of official artwork from the collection, Traldi revealed that the designs also draw inspiration from the original Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Describing his involvement as being part of the game's "official collection" in collaboration with Miami Heat, Traldi said he particularly enjoyed creating the design because of how strongly it reminded him of the original Vice City.
"I absolutely loved working on this design, it really reminds me of the original Vice City, and approaching the graphic with a more limited color palette, inspired by the loading screen artwork and the logo, made all the difference."
That influence can be seen in the artwork's deliberately restricted colour palette and illustrated composition, recalling the distinctive loading-screen artwork that has been associated with the Grand Theft Auto series for decades.
The comments show that the collaboration isn't only using the Vice City name because of GTA VI's modern-day setting. At least some of its artwork was consciously designed to evoke the visual identity of the original 2002 game while adapting it for GTA VI and the Miami Heat collaboration.
Working with Duvin Design
Traldi also thanked James Lano and Duvin Design Company for bringing him onto the project and trusting him with the design.
"Thanks James Lano and Duvin Design Company once again for the invitation and for trusting me with this project."
Duvin has been closely involved with the Miami Heat's Vice City merchandise, making Traldi's comments another confirmation of the collaboration between the designers, the Heat and Rockstar Games.
A Closer Look at the Artwork
Traldi shared five images in his first post, including high-quality versions of the completed artwork alongside images documenting its development. His second post provided another eight images showing a different design from the collection.
The behind-the-scenes material is particularly interesting given how tightly Rockstar typically controls the artwork and visual identity surrounding its games. It gives fans an unusual opportunity to see some of the creative process behind a piece of official GTA VI promotional material rather than only the final approved design.
The artwork also reinforces just how deliberately Rockstar and its partners are leaning into the real-world identity of Miami for GTA VI's launch campaign, while simultaneously drawing upon more than two decades of Vice City history.
The Miami Heat collaboration forms part of a much larger GTA VI marketing campaign now beginning to appear around the world ahead of the game's release on November 19.
Pre-Order Now
T-shirts featuring the artwork can be pre-ordered from the Miami Heat web store.
Sources
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7512914096510631936/
- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7513284221264867329/
- https://www.instagram.com/ruhtraldi/?hl=en