Creating visual worlds & snapshots people want to belong to.
Available for select freelance, consulting & speaking opportunities.
Scroll to enter the maelstrom
Scroll to enter the maelstrom
Services
three ways in — Choose your depth of entry
Tier 1 — The Signal
For brands that need a single, powerful visual statement. • Key art & hero illustrations • Brand drop visuals & campaign imagery • Poster & editorial illustration • Animated teasers & motion stills One visual that makes people stop scrolling and start believing.
Tier 1 — The Signal
For brands that need a single, powerful visual statement. • Key art & hero illustrations • Brand drop visuals & campaign imagery • Poster & editorial illustration • Animated teasers & motion stills One visual that makes people stop scrolling and start believing.
Tier 2 — The World
For brands and studios building something that needs to feel like a universe. • Worldbuilding & visual development • Concept art series & environment design • IP pitch decks & game visual development • Cinematic illustration series • Tabletop, board and card game art and maps Not just a look — a place people want to live in.
Tier 2 — The World
For brands and studios building something that needs to feel like a universe. • Worldbuilding & visual development • Concept art series & environment design • IP pitch decks & game visual development • Cinematic illustration series • Tabletop, board and card game art and maps Not just a look — a place people want to live in.
Tier 3 — The Transmission
For those who need Maelstrom’s vision embedded into their creative DNA. • Creative direction & art direction • Brand identity with narrative backbone • Visual strategy for culture & entertainment IPs • Ongoing creative partnership Your aesthetic agenda, built from the ground up.
Tier 3 — The Transmission
For those who need Maelstrom’s vision embedded into their creative DNA. • Creative direction & art direction • Brand identity with narrative backbone • Visual strategy for culture & entertainment IPs • Ongoing creative partnership Your aesthetic agenda, built from the ground up.
About
Who is Maelstrom?
Maelstrom is the alter ego of Dusan Kovacevic, a Serbian designer and creative director moving between mediums, transforming pixels into stories, mood, and meaning since 2014.
His work lingers in the memory of a future that never was, merging culture, design, and AI into visuals with atmosphere, tension, and intent.
No templates. No trends. Just imaginary worlds that didn’t exist yesterday… Worlds people want to belong to.
For brands who...
• Don’t seek approval — they set the aesthetic agenda
• Want to turn attention into allegiance
• You.
FAQ
Why work with Maelstrom instead of an agency?
Working with Maelstrom means one vision, one voice, zero translation layers. No account managers. No creative-by-committee. No brief that gets diluted between the person who heard it and the person who draws it. You get 12+ years of battle tested industry experience — from someone who has led creative teams and knows exactly what gets lost when too many hands touch the work. The strategic depth of a studio. The speed and soul of someone who has never once settled for good enough.
Can you handle both art direction and execution?
Most studios separate the thinker from the maker. Here, they’re the same person — which means the vision arrives intact. What’s imagined is what gets made. Every time.
What kind of projects do you take on?
Worlds that need to be felt, not just seen. Concept art, key art, worldbuilding, brand identities, animated teasers, editorial illustrations, and creative direction for games, entertainment, and culture-forward brands. If it needs atmosphere, tension, and a universe behind it — it’s the right fit.
Do you work with brands or only on personal creative projects?
The work doesn’t care where it comes from. Personal IP or brand campaign — the process is identical. Built from the inside out. The aesthetic is never applied on top. It’s designed into the foundation.
Do you work with international clients / remotely?
Yes — fully remote, across time zones, with international brands and studios. Location has never been the limiting factor; fit and vision are.
Do you use AI in your work?
Yes — as a tool, not a shortcut. AI accelerates exploration, extends the creative range, and opens possibilities that would take weeks by hand. The direction, the curation, the aesthetic decisions and small details — those are always human. Always Maelstrom.
What if I don’t have a fully formed brief yet?
That’s fine — actually preferred sometimes. Some of the best projects start as a feeling, a reference, or a single sentence. Bring what you have. Discovery is part of the service.
How does the process work?
It starts with a brief — yours or one we build together. From there: discovery, mood and direction, visual development, iteration, and delivery. No guesswork, no endless revisions. Clear stages, clear communication, and work that moves with intention.
Do you take on smaller or one-off projects?
Occasionally, if the brief is interesting enough. The threshold isn’t budget — it’s creative potential. A single illustration with the right concept gets the same level of attention as a full series. What doesn’t work is rushed, underdefined work with no room to breathe.
How much does a project cost?
Every project is scoped after discovery — there's no fixed rate card, because a single key art piece and a full worldbuilding series aren't the same investment. Budget and scope get aligned early, before any work starts, so there are no surprises on either side.
How long does a project take?
A single key art piece: 5–10 days. A full concept series or worldbuilding project: 3–8 weeks depending on scope. Rush timelines are possible but discussed upfront. Good worlds aren’t built overnight — but they don’t need to take forever either.
How do I start?
Send a message. Tell me what you’re building, what it needs to feel like, and what you’re trying to make people believe. If it’s the right fit, we move. If it’s not, I’ll tell you honestly.
Why work with Maelstrom instead of an agency?
Working with Maelstrom means one vision, one voice, zero translation layers. No account managers. No creative-by-committee. No brief that gets diluted between the person who heard it and the person who draws it. You get 12+ years of battle tested industry experience — from someone who has led creative teams and knows exactly what gets lost when too many hands touch the work. The strategic depth of a studio. The speed and soul of someone who has never once settled for good enough.
Can you handle both art direction and execution?
Most studios separate the thinker from the maker. Here, they’re the same person — which means the vision arrives intact. What’s imagined is what gets made. Every time.
What kind of projects do you take on?
Worlds that need to be felt, not just seen. Concept art, key art, worldbuilding, brand identities, animated teasers, editorial illustrations, and creative direction for games, entertainment, and culture-forward brands. If it needs atmosphere, tension, and a universe behind it — it’s the right fit.
Do you work with brands or only on personal creative projects?
The work doesn’t care where it comes from. Personal IP or brand campaign — the process is identical. Built from the inside out. The aesthetic is never applied on top. It’s designed into the foundation.
Do you work with international clients / remotely?
Yes — fully remote, across time zones, with international brands and studios. Location has never been the limiting factor; fit and vision are.
Do you use AI in your work?
Yes — as a tool, not a shortcut. AI accelerates exploration, extends the creative range, and opens possibilities that would take weeks by hand. The direction, the curation, the aesthetic decisions and small details — those are always human. Always Maelstrom.
What if I don’t have a fully formed brief yet?
That’s fine — actually preferred sometimes. Some of the best projects start as a feeling, a reference, or a single sentence. Bring what you have. Discovery is part of the service.
How does the process work?
It starts with a brief — yours or one we build together. From there: discovery, mood and direction, visual development, iteration, and delivery. No guesswork, no endless revisions. Clear stages, clear communication, and work that moves with intention.
Do you take on smaller or one-off projects?
Occasionally, if the brief is interesting enough. The threshold isn’t budget — it’s creative potential. A single illustration with the right concept gets the same level of attention as a full series. What doesn’t work is rushed, underdefined work with no room to breathe.
How much does a project cost?
Every project is scoped after discovery — there's no fixed rate card, because a single key art piece and a full worldbuilding series aren't the same investment. Budget and scope get aligned early, before any work starts, so there are no surprises on either side.
How long does a project take?
A single key art piece: 5–10 days. A full concept series or worldbuilding project: 3–8 weeks depending on scope. Rush timelines are possible but discussed upfront. Good worlds aren’t built overnight — but they don’t need to take forever either.
How do I start?
Send a message. Tell me what you’re building, what it needs to feel like, and what you’re trying to make people believe. If it’s the right fit, we move. If it’s not, I’ll tell you honestly.
