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We were honored that HBCUGO selected us to partner with them in the design and execution of their inaugural football show package, which soon blossomed into a relationship that spanned across all of their broadcast sports.
The streaming service picked up the rights to air games for the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), starting with the 2022-23 season, and needed a brand new graphics package to accompany the broadcast.
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Sports Graphics Packages
HBCUGO
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They wanted a package that made a splash, with big and bold graphics that encapsulated and complimented the energy and excitement of HBCU football.
We wanted to make sure whatever we did celebrated the culture of the HBCU community, which is vibrant, energetic, and proud.
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We did this by creating graphics that mix the glossy, premium 3D graphics with a handful of unique 2D elements that made this thing shine.
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Textural, hand-made elements introduce a human element to the package and represent the individuals that make HBCU sports such a distinctive experience, and a custom, modern approach to traditional kente patterns, used sparingly throughout to further tie the graphics to the rich history of black culture.
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In addition to designing and animating the graphics, we were responsible for art directing and integrating the live graphics into Xpression.
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This allowed us to ensure that the integrity of the package stayed true throughout the entire broadcast, making for a more cohesive viewer experience.
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After the initial football package, we were asked to carry the new motion branding through various other HBCUGO sports, including college basketball.
Since basketball is a much faster game than football and comes with a very different set of stats and information, the package required a custom-built system tailored to present the data in the clearest and most efficient way possible.
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The scorebug became our workhorse; a constant graphic on the screen that other graphics could build off of to give the viewer a quick and easy read.
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With the fast-moving nature of basketball, you can’t always afford to cut away from the game to present information. With that in mind, we created a side-slab system to deliver game stats and messaging while keeping the play action on-screen.
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We’re hugely thankful to the amazing team at HBCUGO for guiding us through the process to ensure our graphics fully and respectfully represented the community and culture of marching bands, dancing, tradition, and, of course, world-class sports.
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Process
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HBCUGO
General Manager Clinton Evans
VP of Programming Karrington Symonds
Marketing & Production Consultant Michelle Brooks
HBCUGO Production Team
Vice President, Design Michael Potts
Art Director Eric King II
Production Consultant Ned Simon
Music & Sound Design Komari Bailey “K-Rucka” & Donna Jones
Direction/Design/Animation | Ranger & Fox
Creative Director Jonathan Larson, Stephen Panicara
Executive Producer Jared Doud
Design Justin Harder, Ben Bullock, Jonathan Larson, Stephen Panicara
Animation Ben Bullock, Jonny Sidlo, Ted Gore, Jonathan Larson, Stephen Panicara
Xpression Alex Newman