I was asked by the Communications staff (as well as my boss Danielle Shank) to design the program covers for the men's and women's UC Davis basketball teams for the 2021-2022 season. Beyond having to input the key information, such as game dates, opponents, times and locations, as well as including cut outs of specific players and their information, I was given full creative freedom to design what I saw fit.
For the Men's cover for November 2021, however, I was given a specific instruction: to utilize two of our school colors into creating an angled line background (see below). This one was a simplistic design that introduced fans to the start of the season, as well as showcasing some new players.
For the women's cover for November 2021, I was told to incorporate their Big West championship status, but given freedom to design beyond that restraint (see below).
Here, I wanted to really emphasize how our women's team was well on their way to perhaps protecting their title for the sixth year in a row, as well as showcasing how powerful they are.
For the Men's December 2021 program (see below), I wanted to give the fans a sense of intensity and power, as well as amping them up for the next series of games in the month.
For the Women's December 2021 program (see below), the idea that I went with was showing how our women's team was "smoking" the competition by having 5 wins and maintaining a good start to their season.
For the December 28th game for Men's Basketball, which unfortunately got cancelled, I centered the theme on winter (see below). The idea was to be festive while still sticking to the UC Davis brand. This was the first cover where I was required to include player and game information.
For the January 6th + 8th 2022 MBB program (see below), I went through a few rough ideas before landing on the idea of using lightning in the background to show high energy and being hopeful for an "electric" start to the new year.
The January 13th + 15th 2022 games for Women's Basketball also were cancelled, but this program cover was to show the entry into the new year. I staggered the four players out (see below) to draw attention to them and make them the focal point of the whole design.
The January 20th + 22nd 2022 WBB program (see below) idea was similar to that of the men's from early January: bringing in a lot of energy and excitement, and getting fans excited to come back to watching games after the cancellations.
The January 27th + 29th 2022 MBB program (see below) was to give off sort of a science-fiction type feel, showing off Elijah Pepper's information as if you were reading it on a high-tech screen -- for example, something you would see Tony Stark observing in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.
The February 1st 2022 WBB program (see below) was to celebrate Sage Stobbart, since she was a senior. I chose this specific photo of her to showcase that she has helped the team get to the Big West-level that it was at.
For the February 5th 2022 MBB program cover, I wanted to emulate some social media basketball posts I'd seen come onto my Explore page on Instagram -- it highlights Christian as the main focus and looks very similar to a player introduction motion graphic that they would show on the videoboard or during an ESPN+ production.
I also drew inspiration from covers I'd seen on past Sports Illustrated magazines, as well as pictures I saw on Behance when trying to figure out what to do for this.
For the February 10th + 12th 2022 WBB program cover (see below), I decided to do a simple Valentine's Day theme. It took a long time to settle on the design I ended up with, as it was very difficult to find elements that weren't too childish or cliche.
It was also hard to incorporate hearts that wouldn't overwhelm Kayla's cutout and draw the main focus away from her.
The reason I settled on the heart pattern you can see is because it was basic enough to use without drawing away from her, but it also brought in a factor of nostalgia as well -- the pattern is similar to something you might find on a wallpaper in a place such as your grandmother's home.
For the February 17th + 19th 2022 MBB cover (see below), I decided to do a comic book cover-style design to draw attention to Ezra at the center of the design. I wanted to use this kind of aesthetic to really showcase Ezra as an important player for the men's team, since he has so many honors and awards, as well as incredible player statistics.
This was also the first cover that included a sponsor logo (UC Davis Health), and settling on a good background while also trying to find the perfect placement for this was a bit of a challenge, but I believe that my final solution worked out great.
For the February 24th + 26th 2022 MBB program cover (see below), I created this design to hint at the upcoming Big West Conference Tournament, which was held in Henderson, Nevada.
The final program cover, which was for the March 3rd + 5th WBB games, was a bit of a challenge. I wanted to incorporate Saint Patrick's Day, and I was also tasked with adding in two sponsor logos: UC Davis Health and Sol at West Village. This meant I needed to try and find a good way to work in creative freedom while sticking to the restraints of the usual UC Davis brand guidelines and keeping the sponsor logos visible and not too out of the way.
I finally settled on the design you see below, since it brings in a fun energy due to Cierra's expression, the graphics behind her, and the color scheme of the green and gold. The lighter green transitioning into the darker shade of green makes the sponsor logos easy to spot and read.
