Twitch-Overlay | Stream Overlay Designer Spotlight

Hi, my name is Dominic, I'm from Germany, and I am the owner of Twitch-Overlay.com. I started the shop around six years ago because I started streaming myself and could not find any stream panels I was happy with. Since I was simultaneously studying, I did not have the time to work full-time as a designer, so I only made new products every now and then and covered my bills with small web design contracts. When I began creating overlays, my graphics were static and not animated. I grew as a designer and animator, so I put in more time and effort to create animated packages for myself and my clients (my first animated creations were for Valorant and Riot). Thank you so much for your interest in my work. I love to have a creative job that fulfills me and can be my own boss, and you make this possible!

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Tell us about Twitch-Overlay. Who/what is Twitch-Overlay? 

Twitch-Overlay.com is a small shop from Germany. It is run by myself and I have a little help from my twin brother sometimes. We also do small design and print jobs on the side

How long has Twitch-Overlay been making theme packages as Twitch-Overlay?

I have been designing stream packages for about five to six years now. I have a design background from my former work as a web designer so I wasn’t completely new to the field.

Why do you have an interest in the live streaming industry? 

I am a passionate gamer myself and started my business because I could not find high quality stream designs anywhere on the internet for my own stream. You won’t find me much on Twitch though, I am mostly watching my favourite streamers on Youtube since most of them are from the US and only stream during the night in Germany.

What was the moment that made you say to yourself, “I want to be a designer?”

I always had the urge to create so being a web designer was my goto as a teenager. Since I was more interested in the actual creation of the websites, the design part was at first only a side product that needed to be taken care of. After a while when I came to learn all the tools of the trade like Illustrator and Photoshop the designing became more important over time and I lost interest in actually creating websites.

What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of design? Do you have a favorite game?

I love to play basketball in my free time and I am big time into gaming. As a kid I loved playing shooters like Counter Strike and Unreal Tournament. After a while my interest switched over to RPGs like Gothic and finally came World of Warcraft which took up a bunch of my time as a treenager. Right now I am more interested in chill card games like Hearthstone (mostly Battlegrounds) and Legends of Runeterra but I am also a big fan of Path of Exile.

What inspired you to create your own business?

To be honest I could never see myself working for someone else. I always had my own business since I was 18 and I always managed to stay afloat on my own. Being self-employed is not easy and you are giving up alot of security. On the bright side, you can manage your own schedule and when you work hard you work for your own and not for anyone else.

What are your favorite packages you’ve made to date?

My favourite package is the Neon Lights bundle which I made together with my brother. My brother is very interested in 3D graphics and programming. We made the Neon Lights bundle and the Mirror City bundle as a collaboration.

Describe your design process for creating theme packages. 

Most often I get inspiration for my overlays somewhere on the internet. Im browsing creative websites every day and when I like something I try to create my own thing from that. I start with the screens and work on them until I am properly satisfied with the outcome, then I am starting with the Facecam overlay from there with those two crucial parts finalized, the rest is only a matter of time and effort.

If you weren’t so good at your job, what else would you be doing?

I would probably still work as a web designer or maybe my journey as a self employed artist would already have been over, who knows.

If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be and why?

Drawing, I would love to be able to draw. I always start doing exercises to improve my drawing but I never follow through and stop again after a short while. But I really admire people who are able to draw.

What would you like to do when you retire?

I will most likely sit in front of my computer all day long and play my same old games from way back but I won’t have a guilty conscience this time.

Do you have any advice for aspiring designers/creatives?

To be honest, if you want to make it as a designer you should try to develop your own style and work hard. Being self-employed in this particular field is very difficult and you will need a little bit of luck. If you have fixed costs you need to pay every month you should probably stick to a dayjob that guarantees you a monthly income. You can always try to build your own business on the side in your free time.