In the summer of 2024, I completed six projects for close friends in the Fighting Game Community. The entire process, from start to finish, took about three months, which is why I’m calling these six projects the Summer Six series. This is one of them, created for a friend who plays Blanka from Street Fighter 6.
Fun and Games
A few weeks before I created this design, I ran into this friend in real life. He’s jovial, cheerful, and fun-loving, both in-game and outside of it. Fighting games are a conversation, and while my friend is continuously improving, playing against him communicates that his first priority is having fun.
That’s why I based my design on colorful, playful elements—nothing too serious or angsty. Blanka himself has evolved over the decades from a savage, beast-like creature to a more fun-loving, comic relief character.
So I centered my design around Blanka’s in-universe mascot character, Blanka-chan. On the front of the controller, I featured Blanka-chan and his little buds frolicking in the Amazon rainforest. On the back, I depicted nighttime in the same rainforest—but this time, the Blanka-chan come out to protect it, not unlike some teenage turtles of the mutant variety.
This ended up as the most visually striking of the Summer Six designs. I went with button caps that match Blanka’s thematic colors, as well as the colors of the sky on the front panel. The pictures don’t do this artwork justice. It is truly breathtaking, and all elements have gelled together splendidly.
Key Points:
Controller(s):
Haute42/Cosmox T16
Modification(s):
Artwork creation, printing and cutting
Button Caps: Ticknot Blue 26mm Button Caps x4, Ticknot Orange 26mm Button Caps x4, Ticknot Green 26mm Button Caps x4
Credits:
ICE-MIO
