Chicago Bulls - Collectible Cards Promotion

The Challenge
The Chicago Bulls wanted to run a promotion in the Chicago Tribune with a two-week collectible card set featuring players and the head coach. The challenge was completing the project on an extremely tight timeline, coming up with concepts over a weekend and delivering fully print-ready artwork in just three days, while creating visually striking cards that would entice fans to buy the paper both Sundays.

The Approach
I focused on making the cards collectible, visually dynamic, and strongly tied to the Bulls brand. The design needed to highlight each player and incorporate elements of Chicago to connect with local fans. Limited imagery meant each player’s card had to maximize visual impact.

The Execution

• Created concepts over a weekend and finalized the chosen designs in record time to meet the Bulls’ tight schedule
• Designed 8-card sheets featuring 15 players and 1 head coach, with each card combining action shots of players in full color against black-and-white Chicago skyline backgrounds
• Incorporated Bulls branding, colors, and logo seamlessly into the layouts
• Designed additional ads and point-of-sale materials to promote the promotion and drive newspaper sales
• Carefully designed each card to make the players pop and stand out, maximizing the collectible appeal

The Impact
The promotion drove excitement among Bulls fans and collectors and helped increase Chicago Tribune sales by around 10% over on those 2 sundays. The combination of striking visuals, strong branding, collectible format, and supporting ads made the campaign a memorable success for both the Bulls and the Tribune.

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