Vize’s Adam Colp and James Oddy on crafting creative for Sonic

Guys, it’s always great to chat – you’ve worked a lot with SEGA crafting creative for Sonic. What makes this such an exciting IP to design for?
Yeah, for us it’s quite personal. We grew up playing Sonic religiously – copying the game covers, drawing the characters constantly… Between us, we must’ve done hundreds of Sonic drawings as kids… It’s surreal that 30 years later we’re now designing for the brand.

And what makes Sonic so strong is that mix of audiences. You’ve got kids coming into it through the films and TV shows, and then people like us who grew up with the games – so it hits both sides. And creatively, it’s just a great world to work in. Everything’s fast, bold, energetic – big environments, iconic characters, Eggman as this over-the-top villain… It gives you loads to play with. That’s why it’s stayed so strong as an IP.

Can you talk us through a few recent guides – what were the briefs, and how did you tackle them?
SEGA usually comes to us pretty early, often like a year ahead, with either trend-led briefs or specific collaborations. If it’s trend-led, we tend to look at what’s happening more in the adult space first, then think about how that can filter down into kids’ products in a way that still feels fresh. At the same time, we’re always trying to find a hook that feels right for Sonic.

One we did recently was Sonic Shinbun, inspired by Japanese newspapers, manga and anime. That whole space is massive right now, so we leaned into it – kept the colour palette tight, used bold Japanese typography and pushed the characters into more of an anime-style world.

“We worked on the Sonic Olympics guide, which was quite different for us… It was about stripping things back and making it really punchy.”

Then on the flip side, we worked on the Sonic Olympics guide, which was quite different for us. Normally we like to go quite detailed and story-led, but that one needed to be much cleaner and more graphic. It was about stripping things back and making it really punchy and usable. We’re also working on a Sonic x McLaren guide, which is a really nice fit – speed meets speed. That’s been a fun one.

What are some of your favourite assets across the guides and why?
It’s tricky to pick one thing. For us it’s always about the key art – the overall compositions. That’s where we spend most of the time, trying to create something that feels really impactful. We tend to lean towards the more comic-style approach – strong silhouettes, a bit more drama, and some storytelling in there.

But honestly, one of the best parts is seeing what happens after. When licensees take the assets and adapt them for product – sometimes they push it in a direction we didn’t expect, and it actually elevates it. That’s when you know the guide’s doing its job.

Sonic is 35 this year – why do you feel the brand has endured? And what makes it such a strong fit across consumer products?
It’s mad that he’s 35! It’s funny because people outside of licensing always ask how Sonic is still going – especially after SEGA stopped doing consoles – but that just shows how strong the brand is beyond games.

At its core, it’s all about speed and attitude. And that translates easily across loads of different areas. That’s why collaborations with the likes of Puma, the Olympics and McLaren all feel like a natural fit. On top of that, you’ve got the nostalgia side – people who grew up with it– but it’s constantly being refreshed with new content, films and games, so it never really drops off. That mix is what keeps it relevant.