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Phoenix Mercury — Speculative Creative Direction

Role: Designer • Social + Brand Concept • 2024

This project is a speculative creative exploration imagining a refreshed visual identity and social content system for the Phoenix Mercury. The goal was to create a cohesive, high-energy design language that elevates the team’s brand, celebrates the athletes, and captures the speed, intensity, and personality of WNBA basketball.

I approached this project as if leading a real-season rollout—building a complete visual ecosystem across social media, digital storytelling, game-night content, and campaign graphics. Every asset is crafted to feel bold, modern, and unmistakably Mercury, blending sports culture with entertainment-style storytelling.

Concept Overview

I developed a striking visual direction centered around:

  • High-impact typography inspired by motion and momentum

  • Vibrant gradients + team-color energy

  • Hero-driven photography with aggressive cropping and dramatic lighting treatments

  • Flexible layout systems designed for real-time updates and fast-turn social content

  • Cinematic storytelling across matchup graphics, roster reveals, and player milestones

This speculative system explores how the Mercury could visually evolve to meet the standards of modern sports branding—cleaner, bolder, and built to move.

Social Media System

This project includes a full suite of social concepts designed as if for a live season:

  • Game-day graphics

  • Player spotlights

  • Milestone cards

  • Matchup + score finals

  • Celebration moments

  • Narrative-driven carousels

  • Hype thumbnails and video-cover frames

Each piece was intentionally crafted to be:

  • Immediately recognizable as part of the Mercury brand

  • Scroll-stopping with strong visual hierarchy

  • Optimized for mobile

  • Energetic, modern, and expressive

My focus was on creating a design system that could scale across a full season, remain on-brand, and push the visuals beyond typical WNBA social aesthetics.

Why I Created This Project

As a designer deeply inspired by sports culture and athlete-driven storytelling, this speculative project allowed me to:

  • Demonstrate creative direction and system thinking

  • Build a full social identity from scratch

  • Showcase my storytelling, composition, and typographic style

  • Prove my ability to handle season-long content volume

  • Expand my portfolio toward sports design, entertainment, and media-driven roles

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