NFL Draft Campaign
2022 + 2023 Seasons
Fandom for all
Our goal for this campaign was to serve up NFL draft picks to fans when they opened the ESPN app following the draft. The main challenge to this task is that we had to account for 32 NFL teams, 32 logos and unique color palettes, and 3 different layouts to account for anywhere between 1 and 3 draft picks, with variables that could change in real time. This was a cross-team effort between product, graphic design, and motion design.
Graphic Design Lead - Myself
Product Design Lead - Christine Gale
Motion Design Lead - Jesse Gilbert
Art Direction - Angelica McKinley
First Down
Our product partners first approached us with their working template which provided a great starting point. We saw some areas for improvement from a graphic design perspective: spacing, accessibility, and a more prominent call to action.
I created an accessible color system that could be applied across all teams. I simplified the background treatment, replaced the link with a larger button, and created a logo treatment motif that we could easily scale.
Upon launch, we successfully reached 4 million unique users with a tap through rate of 21%. This was a 40% improvement over ESPN’s next most popular campaign at the time, making it our most successful to date.
Going for Goal
Taking inspiration from sports player cards, for the 2023 season we wanted to have more of a player focus, and incorporate more of the Draft styling. I designed a template that would bring more attention to the players and use an even simpler color system.
The draft could have between 1 and 3 players selected and so we needed to create 3 potential layouts to account for this. We stress tested player names, team logos, and position names to ensure that the template was prepared for any scenario.
Upon adding some simple and ambient motion, we simplified the amount of data users would need to read and kept the card more celebratory. We truly elevated the previous year’s design into a template that the team plans to use for future drafts and sports celebrations, including the 2023 NBA draft.