Stars and stripes: Designing Fox’s summer sports broadcasting campaign

The summer of sport has officially drawn to a close, but that doesn't mean we can't spotlight another excellent design project that emerged from it! Earlier this year, motion design studio THRU was commissioned by FOX Sports to create the design system for their Summer of Stars broadcasting campaign, developed to promote their coverage of the 2024 Copa América and UEFA Euros in the United States.

The broadcaster wanted the campaign to capture the essence of summer when the world's best soccer players come together to compete on the grandest stages. They were looking for a partner who could translate their vision into a flexible identity that could resonate across various platforms.

Given their previous collaborations with major brands and experience in visual identities, THRU was a natural fit. The studio's founder and creative director, David Galar, saw much potential in the brief and was immediately captured by the name Summer of Stars.

"It encapsulates the energy and excitement of two of the world's most significant soccer tournaments—the Copa América and UEFA Euro—both held during the summer," says Galar, adding that THRU was up to the challenge of unifying this concept. It was clear that the results would not only have to be visually striking but also be deeply connected to the spirit of the events.

While the broad audience for this identity was soccer fans in the United States, the identity had to resonate with soccer enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.

Galar remembers that one of the primary challenges was "creating a visual system that could adapt to the diverse needs of the campaign while maintaining a strong and consistent identity". With almost 50 distinct pieces across various formats and sizes, each needed to imbue the core elements of the design system.

"We overcame this by developing a flexible framework, anchored by the Star System and soccer-inspired stripes, that allowed for creative variations without sacrificing brand consistency," says Galar. The studio also integrated the 3D elements and the motion graphics into the overall design system, which was achieved through close collaboration with external partners.

During the ideation phase, designer and art director David Rinman played a pivotal role and helped to shape the visual direction and craft the Star System that became the cornerstone of the identity. After the ideation phase, THRU completed the rest of the project using Rinman's initial contributions.

Galar says: "His expertise was crucial in translating abstract concepts into effective visual elements, ensuring the system was both visually compelling and versatile across various media and formats."

The Star System comprises typographic compositions that form star shapes, reflecting the campaign's theme and providing a versatile framework for various applications. Two key typefaces were used in this system: Anton and Helvetica Now.

The former is an open-source typeface from Google Fonts, which Galar says was chosen for its "bold, condensed style, which was crucial for creating the star shapes that are central to the identity". Its legibility and strength, when skewed into star shapes, also made it a practical fit.

Helvetica Now was used as a secondary typeface, "selected for its neutrality and legibility in smaller sizes, ensuring it complemented Anton without competing with it", says Galar.

He adds: "These choices were driven by the need for a clear, impactful typographic system that could carry the star concept throughout the design."

Stripes inspired by soccer imagery – such as team jerseys and field markings – are used throughout the identity to bring cohesion while allowing the design to adapt to different contexts.

Stripes were incorporated as a critical design element, inspired by their presence in soccer-related imagery, such as team jerseys and field markings. Galar says: "They served as the foundation for a flexible visual system that could accommodate creative variations while ensuring consistency across all applications.

"The stripes provided a dynamic framework that allowed the identity to be both cohesive and adaptable, essential for managing the diverse needs of the project."

The campaign's colour palette includes warm tones evocative of summer, while 3D trophy renders add depth and realism to the identity. According to Galar, the primary yellow hue symbolises "the bright, sunny atmosphere of the season", while THRU also applied gradients to add "depth and dynamism, mimicking the natural transitions of light during summer".

Colour variations could be tailored to specific teams or events, making the identity relevant and newacross different contexts.

THRU also collaborated with 3D designer Richardo Rey on the 3D shapes, particularly the renders of the Copa América and UEFA Euro 2024 trophies, which Galar says were crucial in "adding a layer of prestige and realism to the campaign". These shapes not only added to the overall visual impact of the campaign identity but also brought depth and physicality.

Galar says that Rey's input was "instrumental in achieving the high-quality visuals required", "saying that his work "brought the trophies to life, making them a standout feature within the identity".