This game's been played, this digital takeover's come down.
But this one has stayed with me, and I'll tell you why.
๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ช๐ด ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ. The iconic rivalry (the "Ohio derby") between two Ohio MLS clubs, FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew, both of whom we're absolutely privileged to work with, and whose people and whose work we can't stop raving about.
For this year's Hell is Real rivalry match, FC Cincinnati did something unique on their app. They brought hell to life. In all the pixels, in all the places. And I mean all the way down to the fonts. The "Hell is Real" lettering looked like nothing else in the app, and that look didn't just stay in one place. It seeped into the section headers. It seeped into the roster headshots that we reworked in this gorgeous orange-and-yellow, wicking-flame patterns. And anchoring it all, there was a giant marquee graphic on the home screen.
We took FC Cincinnati's orange and breathed fire into it. Real, dancing, mesmerizing flames, right there on the app. That home screen was dramatic, vivid, and completely different from everything else we've done. The images are still burnt (pun, sorry, not sorry) in my brain.
But, there's another reason I love this one. It was designed carefully by one of our talented new junior graphic designers, someone who just graduated, and who had the chance to design this as his first launched sports-design project, right out of the gate. And, he smashed it. I can't tell you what that does to me. To watch someone who just started their career make something this beautiful, this fast, gives me a rush. It always has.
I'll remember this takeover for two reasons: not just for the flames, but for who lit them.
So thank you, Christian C. and Zoe S. at FC Cincinnati, for collaborating with Aislinn Keenan and the rest of our Digital Takeovers team on this absolutely gorgeous Hell is Real takeover, just one more in a long line of takeovers that we've been lucky to do with you and for you. Here's to the next one. We'll bring the heat to your takeovers again. ๐ฅ๐๐งก
To our newest designer, Collin Stange, only three weeks in, and you did this incredibly beautiful piece of work. I am so proud of you. I can't wait to see what you do next.
Image credit: Ana Baskinger