x spot

I often bitch about the tendency in sports graphics to rely on the same ol tricks of big shiny 3D and overdone backgrounds and light effects, whether its appropriate for the event or the sport or not. (I will admit one notable exception is SportsCenter, where Troika Design Group managed to take the typical shiny sports 3D into another dimension that is both bold and energetic, yet almost elegant at the same time).

A great example of zagging where everyone else zigs was on ABC and ESPN the week before last. The X Games has a look, designed by V12, that inventively merges 3D motion into a 2D world - or maybe the other way around. The look is clean and hip, strong and distinctive. The use of typefaces that wouldn't be the expected choice for either sports in general or for the extreme sports crowd also hits the individuality that that crowd identifies with. The on-air look of the X Games is also enhanced by the fact that the same graphic look is used on all of the on-site signage that you see on camera. The look isn't brand new, but it still holds up well, in both its blue winter version and the red summer version. Spot on.