Armageddon XL - Stage, Tables, Surrounds and Graphics - Darts Show Production

Darts Show Production

Armageddon is the biggest (and some would say best) of the darts exhibitions in the UK. A staple of the MDA calendar with a rich history over the last few decades - and every year the MDA team ensure it gets even bigger and even better than before

2026 welcomed darting legends Luke Littler, Adrian Lewis, Stephen Bunting, Nathan Aspinall, Glen Durrant, Trina Gulliver, Simon Whitlock and John Part to a full house at the Mattoili arena in Leicester

I have been involved with MDA / MODUS for the last few years and was tasked with helping create the graphics and production for the 2026 edition of the show (which had the name XL to add to the pressure!)

Stage Design

I have the pleasure of being the designer for the Darts stages for MDA /MODUS exhibitions for the past 2 years - But Armageddon required something unique and BIGGER. This stage set was a third higher than the standard set and a brand specific design was required.

Obviously we had to include all the sponsors of the show

Here are the original, never before seen concepts

This was based on the existing stage design - but with the Armageddon Purple colourway ( see the original stage design HERE)

These designs, rightly, didn't have the X factor that we needed for the show and the concept was all wrong - whilst Armageddon in recent years has a space / superhero theme - this stage was too cluttered and NOT SPECIAL

So I changed it to a lighter purple, with complimentary blues and whites - as well as a 'Sunrise' motif to give the impression of a new and exciting beginning

I also kept the board image on - simply because its a standard in Darts that is expected

The Finished design was SIMILAR to this - but I moved the board graphic up and had the actual dart board central / aligned with the bullseye

Board Surround

Designing a board surround happened by accident - I need a surround graphic to place on the image - to measure against, ensure the colours match and to provide an example to the MDA team so they can see what the finished product will look like

I have the template to design Surrounds (see my gallery HERE)

So I simply and quickly designed one - purely for the graphic - and it was so well recieved that MDA used it for the show

The more observant readers will notice Karel Sedlacek is on the image and not John Part - this is always the risk with images - Karel had to pull out due to being on the Euro Tour and Part stepped in last minute to cover him - which is great for fans - but not ideal for print!

Darts Tables

Darts Tables are an often forgetton, but essential, part of a darting exhibition. All MDA/MODUS shows have a specifcly branded darts table that gets signed by all the darting stars involved (check out the Gallery here)

The Darts Table for Armageddon XL DIDNT have the players images on and was purely branded with the Armageddon brand and colors - and there was even the option of player specific tables aswell

On Screen Graphics

A simple, but effective part of the process - Match graphics for the audience to see and know what matches they can expect to see. These come in two versions - one of each individual matches and one with the full match card

These graphics are ideal for the big screens - showing which match is coming up next and as great place holders - but also can be used on social media - whether in promotion or for live updates

Videos and Highlights

Alongside the opening promo and all walkon videos, the final part of the process is to create a highlights reel of the show and use it across the MDA socials and youtube to show the fans either what they missed out on or remind them the great night they had

The MDA youtube and TikTok has nearly 100 videos and clips from the show, as well as all the others, and is definately worth checking out

All in all Armageddon was a success and we move onto ARMAGEDDON ALLSTARS in 2027 - and my next challenge is all the same content for FACE/OFF 2026 and HULL 2026