Gotham FC 2025 NWSL Playoffs Campaign

Momentum defined the playoff visual identity. The goal was to create a campaign that felt illustrative of playoffs as a whole. This was communicated most clearly through the intentional use of orange and blue gradients. Orange represented Gotham FC heating up as the team advanced, while blue kept the assets grounded in Gotham FC’s core identity. The Gotham FC playoffs universe was even connected across social, email, and web platforms by replacing all evergreen logos with special edition playoffs versions. Player photography enhanced the emotional impact of each asset. High-contrast editing, dramatic compositions, and bright blues against dark backgrounds emphasized the team’s determination and confidence. Photo treatments and background textures were strategically templated to enable asset production at high volume with tight deadlines. Cinematic compositions evoked the emotional impact of movie posters to distinguish the assets from traditional sports graphics. Grass, stadium imagery and action shots provided soccer-specific cues to broader audiences, while player names, positions and the full “GOTHAM FC” wordmark promoted universal recognition. The match posters and win graphics best underscored this design system. For example, the Quarterfinal match poster drew inspiration from horror movie posters to underscore the high stakes, intensity and must-see energy of the match.

From the original award submission.