2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Key Art + Visual System
Art Direction, Design
The Assignment
Designing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs required a flexible, round-by-round key art system that could adapt in real time as teams advanced, broadcast schedules shifted, and partners activated across various platforms.
The brief requested that the Stanley Cup be at center stage, star players be recognizable, and that a cinematic presentation be built in that was capable of scaling across each round and execution.
The Execution
I designed and operated a key art system that could be updated overnight as series concluded, often preparing multiple outcomes in advance so partners never had to wait for assets or clarification.
Throughout the playoffs, I handled all key art compositing, versioning, and delivery independently, while also building complete toolkits for every possible series outcome. With each new round, I would also handle delivering all digital assets to cover a full round of games for each series.
Files were built with smart objects inside shared Photoshop files, allowing teams and partners to safely update logos, players, dates, and copy without breaking the system. This allowed me to stay on top of last-minute needs while ensuring consistency and accuracy across hundreds of live assets that were running at any given moment.
Alternate matchup mocks created in advance, allowing full conference final toolkits to be delivered immediately once broadcast assignments were confirmed, without altering the core system.
Additional SCope
Beyond key art, this system supported a wide range of broadcast, digital, and partner executions, including toolkits for media partners, broadcast graphics, digital advertising, influencer packaging, and platform-specific assets across TNT, Max, CNN, B/R, and third-party partners.