Writer’s Strike End a Boon for Sports Networks, Agencies
These teams are flexing their muscles on and off the diamond.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Social Media Seven, where we cover the best the #smsports world has to offer. This week, we look at Major League Baseball, and the teams that are flexing their creative muscles. No time for warmup pitches, it’s time to play ball!
Houston Astros
The Astros start us off with some exceptional motion content with both the home run and final score graphics. The paneled scoreboard lettering adds that classic baseball element, while the animated characters are also presented with retro lighting. The two aspects are different, but mix well together with the execution.
The victory post has a more modern feel, but remains clean, as the images are shifted in the background. This template offers Houston’s social team to create customized, new designs after each game, while maintaining consistency day in, day out.
Toronto Blue Jays
I love the incorporation of the red maple leaf into the graphic designs of the Jays. Canada’s team uses the national symbol to highlight players and stats, while adding the extra color layer without overdoing the design. Not only does it make fans proud to represent the North, but also aligns perfectly with the brand and color scheme.
Washington Nationals
Staying with patriotism, the Nationals also do a great job at representing our nation’s capital, with the use of the stars and stripes in many of their designs. The two examples of motion content above are completely different in technique and concept, but show how there are numerous ways that lead to a successful end product. The simplicity of the stars twinkling in the back is subtle but powerful in pushing the image of manager Dusty Baker to the forefront, as the layer allows the visual to pop without being overwhelming. On the flip side, the ‘Play Ball!’ graphic is naturally fast and bold, and is meant to build excitement.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers’ social team was very successful the other day in creating comic book themed graphics that were strong visually and contributed to storytelling on Twitter during the game. These were made specially for Marvel Super Heroes Day at Miller Park — a cool endeavor to pull off even for only one game on social media. I like how Milwaukee leveraged the in-park experience to create an entire platform the day, which allows fans watching from home to feel a part of the fun.
Pittsburgh Pirates
With StatCast and other advanced statistics becoming more mainstream amongst MLB fans, credit the Pirates for including launch angle and exit velocity on their visuals for home runs. Highlighting the player, his updated season stats, and a visual of the HR all in one templated design is impressive, and a cool way to share information on social. The victory flag being raised is another fun graphic that can easily be used after each win, but something that fans can rally around and share.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are yet another team that utilizes strong visual motion to highlight content. Noticing a trend? The starting lineup design is clean and bold, striking the perfect balance in movement and design with information. For their victory design (yet another trend!), Philadelphia uses a flashy sign version of the Liberty Bell that is sure to catch the eye of fans in any timeline. I love the hashtag #RingTheBell as a rally cry, as it aligns with the rich history of the city, but also becomes completely ownable for the Phils.
Boston Red Sox
Capping off our trip around the bases, the Red Sox feature for their consistent branding and strong layering in graphics. Their victory hashtag of #WinDanceRepeat was modified for the All-Star game vote to #VoteDanceRepeat and it fits perfectly. This is a great example of taking what you already have and building off of its strong foundation! The red and navy looks sharp on the white background, and makes the player images seem less overwhelming.
Finally, the sketch drawing and animation of the outfield victory celebration is really well done, as the motion is dynamic and feels human. Giving the fans something that they would want to share is always a good idea!
Thanks for reading this week’s #SMSeven! Stay tuned to @frntofficesport every day for fresh new content across the world of sports business.
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