In 2021, Major League Soccer’s esports league was in need of a refreshed look. The three events that make up its season – eMLS League Series 1, eMLS League Series 2, and eMLS Cup – were all being held remotely for the first time, and as the FIFA league matured into its fourth year, it needed a graphics package that could meet the moment of a fast-growing esports industry without utilizing the branding of host cities’ teams.
This graphics package for the 2021 eMLS season relies on a rounded pixel shape as its primary graphic mark, and uses a digital glitch transition style that is quick and exciting without overwhelming.
The project was set up using After Effects coding and Essential Graphics to easily swap each animated assets between the branding of the three separate events. The below examples are from League Series 1.
Select video projects from my time with the United Soccer League.
In 2018, USL went through a company-wide rebrand, including changing its logo, colors, and the names for all three of the leagues it oversaw. This video was used to announce the rebrand and showcased the change, the reasoning behind the branding decisions, and several cases of the brand in action, from broadcast graphics to the new ball design.
To generate excitement for the first USL Championship season under its new branding, I scripted, storyboarded, and animated this video, incorporating hand-drawn animation composited with footage from previous years.
One of the first major independent projects I took on at USL: animated logos for all 33 teams in the league at the time as a standalone video and as assets used in other motion graphic content throughout the 2018 season and beyond.
With the 2019 season came seven new expansion teams, so these animations were added to the bank from the previous season.
Hand-drawn animation commemorating Didier Drogba’s final regular season game in USL.
Short video for social media channels showcasing the updated conference alignment for the 2019 USL Championship season.
Example of the graphics package made for social videos overviewing all USL Championship games for a game day. Made using easy-to-switch templates similar to those shown in the “USL Templates” page in my portfolio.
A showcase of various animations and videos created for Bleacher Report Football's social media channels.
An analysis of Jadon Sancho’s evolution, skills, and weaknesses, shown using a tactics board, stylized cutouts, and hand-drawn animations.
Loopable animation of Christian Pulisic's knee slide celebration which cycles between his Borussia Dortmund and USMNT jerseys, and shows him growing eagle's wings.
Animation featuring the captains of all 20 champions of the Premier League to celebrate the start of its 21st season.
A collaboration with Adidas, showcasing iconic players who have worn their Predator boot and the goals/moments created while wearing them.
Animation celebrating the USMNT winning the 2017 Gold Cup.
Trailer to tease an upcoming article featuring a classic game between Brazil's Santos and Flamengo.
Animation of Dennis Bergkamp's famous goal vs. Argentina, featuring motion tracking of the ball and text animation for the commentary.
Animation of all seven goals Germany scored against Brazil in the 2014 World Cup composited ontop of one another.
Animation celebration Harry Kane's 100th goal for Tottenham Hotspur.
Example of template created for social media usage that allows viewers to select one of several choices by commenting or Facebook reacting.
An animated love letter to the sport that changed my life.
A spec show open and deliverables package for American Ninja Warrior, created as part of MOME 408: Multiplatform Media Brand Packaging at SCAD.
JAMIE GRAY - Producer/Designer/Animator
AUGUSTUS RACHELS - Designer/Animator
MADISON ELLIS - Designer/Animator
ANA MARGARITA OSPINA - Designer/Animator
SOFIE LEE - UX Designer/Animator
Click here to view a PDF process book.
Six logo animations for various brands created as part of MOME 406: Multiplatform Media Brand Packaging at SCAD.
Click here to view a PDF process book.
An animated infographic on the effects of sleep deprivation, created as part of MOME 309: Concepts in Motion Media Design at SCAD.
A comprehensive graphics package for Sporting Kansas City's web videos made in preparation for the 2017 season. Taking inspiration from DixonBaxi's rebrand of the Premier League and Troika's rebrand of The CW, this graphics package relies on track matte reveals and semitransparent rectangular backgrounds with cut corners to mirror the Missouri/Kansas state border represented in the Sporting KC crest.
Generic slate featuring the Sporting KC logo and the four stripes on their 2017 primary jersey to open web videos.
Generic slate to end videos. Identical to the intro slate except for starting on transparent instead of white and holding on the logo rather than animating away.
Intro for Behind the Shield, a series of behind-the-scenes videos started by Sporting KC in 2017.
Simple wipe transition featuring the Sporting KC crest.
Second transition, this time with a more impactful reveal.
The most complex of the three transitions, this uses drifting white bars and animates off centrally.
Lower third title, ideal for showing a person's name and position while they are being interviewed or are otherwise being featured in the video.
An alternate, simplified lower third title without a title background or a subtitle.
A small tombstone title, ideal for displaying a single piece of information or statistic.
A slightly larger tombstone graphic, better for showing statistics over time or comparisons.
A large tombstone graphic, ideal for showing results and statistics over time with more freedom to add additional graphics and logos within.
A fullscreen graphic for displaying large amounts of information.
An alternate fullscreen graphic with a solid white background instead of a transparent background.
A graphic for MLS Western Conference standings with the ability to highlight two key teams.
A score bug for highlights and game broadcasts with a built-in animation for when goals are scored.
A graphic displaying the final score of a game.
A graphic showing the five most recent results for Sporting and an opposing team.
A graphic showing four upcoming Sporting KC games, with the date and time, and color coded for home and away based on their home and away jerseys.
Using the ball as a transitionary tool, this animation takes you through seven of the most impressive goals from MLS's 2015 season.
CREATED USING: After Effects, Photoshop
