Red Holidays 2023

CD Projekt Red held a contest during the holiday season, and I managed to enter at the last minute! I was semi-blackout concerning social media for most of 2023 to maximize my productivity, and I only saw the details less than a week before the deadline. There were four categories: postcard design, creative writing, comic book, and decoration. I wanted to join all of them, but it wasn’t possible because I was too busy with work.

I joined the 1st category, and it was about my favorite game: Cyberpunk 2077. I have to design a holiday postcard for Mama Welles. I had various ideas, from making an elaborate top-view illustration of things related to Jackie (Mama Welles’ son and V’s best friend) with the card in the middle of a table to an overseas postcard from Misty (Jackie’s lover) when she decided to go somewhere in a specific ending path (I won’t spoil). None of the first mentions came to fruition since I could not create such a design less than a day from the deadline.

 

Thank the heavens since I have already created a concept art related to Militech (click here to view) from October 2022, which I used as my non-canon V. I haven’t managed to resume the series yet for my other planned conceptual arts. Still, at least I have used it for Red Holidays 2023.

Spoilers will follow, so read at your own risk! For my non-canon V, I made him a Militech soldier stationed somewhere in Badlands. After the Konpeki Plaza heist and Jackie’s funeral, V contacted Meredith Stout, whom they previously encountered during The Pickup (a main quest). He started working for Militech instead of resuming his mercenary career because he was still traumatized from what happened to his best friend. Also, he hopes to use his new employer’s resources to find a cure for the engram living in him, which also slowly kills his soul. The engram is named Johnny Silverhand (played by Keanu Reeves).

 

The overall design is a mixture of dry Christmas and Candy Fever. It was a coincidence that I live in a tropical country without snow. It would be relatable if I were to send a postcard myself; there would be no snowman and such in the card design. I chose pastel green and red (almost pink) for my primary colors and a yellowish brown like kraft paper for the background. I lack typical winter elements, so I opt for a candy cane vibe for the border.

I got the inspiration for the front part's main design from Tomo Taka's picturesque postcards from various video games. It was conducive to me because I wanted to create something quick yet put together simultaneously. I took the VPs (main and the card’s background) in-game somewhere in Badlands. As for the texts, I gave them Hollywood-esque and desert feels.

I put the concept art, like an attached photo, for the back part and the Militech logo as the postage stamp. As you can see, I didn’t use the usual yellow for the logo because it would look like a distracting contrast. I tried to use a font that resembles manly writing, but it ruins the aesthetic, so I went for something old school, and let’s just say V has good penmanship.

If I’m being serious, I wasn’t expecting my entry to be that good because I did it quickly, yet I was pretty satisfied. I am not trying to brag, but as a designer, I can say that mine has an edge over winning compared to the other entries. I didn’t win the screenshot contest from 2022 and felt terrible because I didn’t know modding was allowed. Since then, I have lost the motivation to join any CDPR contests, but this time around, I feel confident.

The deadline was December 7, and the announcement was December 15. I am anticipating my win, so I was online the whole day, and oh my gosh, I was right! I felt ecstatic when I heard that pop-up notification and saw my name as one of the winners. I even rushed toward my mom and uncle to inform them I won a contest. As a fan girl of CD Projekt Red, it's a massive deal for me to be recognized and selected in a design contest. It was worth sacrificing some sleep time to create a last-minute submission.

Winning the contest gave me much motivation and self-confidence because I usually doubted my capabilities and skills. I remember this specific person insulting me way back. I wonder how he felt seeing me win, and he’s still the same, bringing people down. I’m just starting, but it warms my heart to reap some of my efforts. I thank God for the wisdom and all the blessings!