I was contacted by the Madison Square Garden to create illustrations to celebrate the
Holiday season 2019-2020 of The New York Knicks, from Thanksgiving to Christmas and New Year.
Most of the material was created for social media but we also had the chance to create a printed Christmas postcard to mail to the fans during the Holidays.It´s been a rough season in terms of results, so we wanted to highlight the team spirit and young talent being fostered in the current roster, as well as celebrating the hardcore fans supporting their team in good and bad times.
THANKSGIVING
For the first Illustration I wanted to get familiar with the current roster -I didn´t know most of the players- so I did a first rough sketch with a rough likeness and attitude. Once this got approved, a tighter linework version is reviewed with some of the players tweaked and more details added.
Final Illustration for Social Media in 16:9 with a 4:5 split (swipe) option in Instagram
CHRISTMAS POSTCARD
For the printed illustration we focused more on the fans and less of the actual players -other than a nod to the roster with a last minute snow man- I sketched different compositions to show the crowd playing with the snow and the Madison Square Garden.
The more dramatic 3-vantage point view- was the winner.
In the process of refining the linework I added more people in the foreground, improved perspective and tightened the Madison Square Garden at the background. We decided to remove the Empire State Building in this one, since it has its own marketing guidelines and it was prominent in the Thanksgiving illo. A classic New York water tower and building silhouettes made up for it.
Final Illustration for printed Christmas Card 7 x 5 Inches
Here is how the full postcard design turned out. Really excited to have my name together with one of the most iconic NBA teams.
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL MEDIA GREETING
In this case the briefing requested the blue jersey, which limited the possibilities of the background palette if I wanted the players to pop and keep the room dimly lit by the fire. A very light background wouldn´t work with the snowy backyard through the window (also in the briefing) and many bright colors had direct association with other teams. I decided to use a green with hints of Knicks Orange to convey Christmas easily and keep the palette as limited as possible.
Final illustration for Social Media 16:9 and 5:4 split (swipe) for Instagram.
NEW YEAR SOCIAL MEDIA POST
For this last one we already had the format pinned down and I knew well the players. I had to rework some of the poses and tweak the uniforms a couple of time -I used the wrong kit-. A NY terrace was a great setup to have the team celebrating the coming of a new year. As usual, tons of insider jokes and a great way to close the project.
Final illustration for Social Media 16:9 and 5:4 split (swipe) for Instagram.
Thanks for checking the project!