Joining Jazz Gaming (the Utah Jazz’s 2K League affiliate team), I quickly got to work revitalizing their motion graphics, as well as raising the bar for their video and photo content. In all of these areas, I focused on making every scene as cinematic as possible, as well as bringing a sense of movement and energy to an otherwise stationary game. This resulted in higher engagement from fans, an uptick in followers, and a more cohesive branding strategy in season 2, that was greatly expanded upon in season 3 with the help of a dedicated graphic designer, Tanner Milne, being added to our team.
Reaching Out
Our content focus was to show the Gaming team interacting with each other, the bonds they formed over the course of the season, and their interaction with the community. Jazz Gaming was involved in many programs to reach out into schools, the Boys and Girls Club, video game design programs, and esports fans. Our goal was to extend the reach of esports into communities that otherwise wouldn’t interact with it, support our loyal fanbase, and encourage kids to view this industry as a legitimate career path and passion.
Building a Brand
Season 2 was defined by our vibrant orange and navy colors that are heavily featured in our motion graphics work and jerseys. Playing into this, and the team’s overall demeanor, I chose to position the videos as positive, uplifting, and community-oriented. The Jazz Gaming team is filled with inspiring, hard-working, and truly kind players who respect each other and the community. Our players spent a lot of time getting people active, playing 2K with fans of all ages, and encouraging students to get involved in STEM activities during the season. Our stylistic choice reflected the warmth and calmness that the team embodied, and was easily transferrable to their passionate style of play when competing.
A New Look
As we entered season 3, we decided to move into a more grungy, industrial look. This look was chosen to reflect the difficult circumstances many players on our team came from, as well as incorporating the technological aspect of gaming in the aesthetic with glitch effects, roughened textures, and a look that spoke to the culture of gaming. The animation style is purposefully choppy to bring that same grungy aesthetic to every piece of content we put out. While the content remains community-oriented and caring, we wanted to position the team as passionate, and hungry for greater success, the kind of rough and tumble attitude that can take a hit, and get right back up until they succeed.
