Launching an Experimental Campaign Page for Warframes

Warframe is a free-to-play action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed by Digital Extremes.

Frames for Frames is a store web page designed as a lighthearted prank for the community and fan base. The page centred on an eyewear accessory designed specifically for Warframes. The goal was to treat an intentionally unserious idea with an on-brand execution.

The challenge was to present the concept as a branded product while maintaining a lightweight scope and minimal production investment. The project was kept intentionally lightweight, with no additional asset requests and no expectation of a real product.

I was able to leverage my prior experience with Blender to create the necessary product assets using existing resources. I then designed the web page to closely resemble other store product pages to help sell the joke.

Early concepts explored doodled eyewear and simple 3D glasses overlaid on characters. In both approaches, the eyewear looks like an overlay rather than something designed for the character’s form, making the product feel less believable and undermining the tone.

I started by designing a simple SVG in Figma that outlined the main parts of the glasses: the frame, lenses, and legs. Each shape was then imported into Blender and converted into a mesh. From there, I extruded the geometry and softened the edges and assembling the final 3D model.

Warframe’s Steam Workshopprovides a publicly available set of character models and material sets. Although the models are low-poly, working directly in Blender allowed the eyewear to be designed in relation to the character’s form. The resulting model inherently resembled a showroom mannequin, an idea we leaned into.

The final assets uses darker silhouette renders as they mask the low-poly geometry while creating a more anonymous and mysterious tone. Lights placed behind the models create a subtle glow that highlights the silhouettes.

After feedback from the community and creative teams, the direction shifted toward a more silly and less realistic tone. We revisited the original doodle concept and layering illustrated details over the Warframes.

The April Fools experience was warmly received by the community! The success of this gag has encouraged the team to continue exploring playful campaigns in future releases.