Hyperbolically Seattle
PUBLICATION DESIGN, CONTENT DESIGN, MOBILE LAYOUT DESIGN
An interview with Drew Hamlet, Art Director for the NHL's Seattle Kraken, conducted, edited, and designed into a four page broadsheet and standalone mobile scroll-through.
TOOLS
InDesign
Illustrator
Figma
After Effects
COURSE
Advanced Typography
CLIENT
UW Design
DURATION
Five Weeks, Solo
As a part of a publication series on design professionals, conduct an interview with a professional designer and design a unique broadsheet representative of their work.
Prompt
Ideation
I decided to reach out to Drew Hamlet, the Art Director of the Seattle Kraken, because I am fascinated by the world of sports design. Specifically, I was interested in how the Kraken brand was developed, because it had been instated as an expansion team in 2021. Throughout this project, I began developing my own passion for sports design and branding, and aimed to infuse the trademark energy and rhythm of the sports sector of design into my final piece.
The Broadsheet
This project was an exercise in making the visual language of sports design my own. The Kraken brand is marked by complex layering, PNW inspired textures, and bold fonts and colors. I initially I found it challenging to achieve the look that I wanted, but soon discovered leaning into a physical collage look was successful to convey my interview's feeling alongside the information.
The front cover. One of the images I am most proud of in my design career thus far.
The inside spreads. I personally cut out and scanned in every image you see here to achieve the icy, gritty texture that defines hockey's visual language.
Developing a mobile version
In addition to our physical broadsheets, we created companion mobile articles. I maintained the type and color systems of my original broadsheet, but appreciated the ability to integrate GIFs and videos into my mobile article, in order to show more of the Kraken's in-game experience. Notably, my article features a lot of fish flying around the sections—a nod to the Kraken's post-game tradition of throwing stuffed salmon into the crowd (which honors Pike Place, a Seattle staple).
Takeaways
I had so much fun working on this project and developing my passion for sports design! Many thanks to Drew Hamlet for speaking with me and imparting his wisdom, as well as my Professor Karen Cheng for her wonderful advice and critique.
