Retro-Inspired Design Boosts Excitement for Tournament 5
Talk Bout, a podcast hosted by Jack Marr and Riley Harris, dives into UFC and MMA discussions and has built a loyal following over its two-year journey. Partnered with Revolution BJJ, Boxing, and Fitness Gym in Nottingham, PA, Talk Bout extends its influence beyond the mic by organizing engaging local Jiu Jitsu tournaments that bring together fighters from Revs and other gyms across Pennsylvania, reaching as far as Philadelphia.
I was commissioned to design a complete visual package for Tournament 5, including a logo that embodies the event’s intensity, a main event poster, poster-sized images optimized for social media, as well as main and undercard fight posts. In just three weeks, I crafted a unified visual theme across all materials, ensuring consistency, brand recognition, and social media appeal to drive excitement and engagement for the tournament.
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The Talk Bout team faces a potential challenge with Tournament 5, as it will be held at the Solanco High School gymnasium—20 minutes away from their usual venue locations, which have all been within a 5-minute radius of their home gym. With an average of 140 tickets sold per event, there's concern that this increased distance might reduce attendance and affect ticket sales.
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This 90s-inspired design will effectively reach Talk Bout’s target audience by creating a fun, nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of the decade's iconic high school culture—a style currently trending in pop culture, from fashion to film. The choice of bold, experimental, and pixelated fonts will evoke memories of early computer graphics and video games, striking a nostalgic chord with fans of all ages and heightening the tournament’s appeal.
Incorporating Solanco High School’s signature yellow into the design will blend the event seamlessly with the venue, celebrating the new location and establishing a familiar connection with the local community. A soft, cloudy background reminiscent of 90s school photo backdrops and jagged shapes outlining the fighters will enhance the dynamic feel of the tournament, adding to the event’s lively atmosphere. These visual elements combine to captivate both regular attendees and newcomers, making the experience engaging, memorable, and on-trend.
Craft a Versatile Logo Suite for Tournament 5
Designing the logo mark for Tournament 5 presented an exciting challenge, particularly in achieving a seamless integration of the 'T' and '5' characters. My initial concepts focused on using a stripe on the lower portion of the '5' as a nod to the levels of expertise in Jiu Jitsu. However, after transferring my sketches into Illustrator, I opted to intertwine the 'T' within the '5' for a more cohesive and distinctive symbol. Once I finalized this concept, I applied the same spacing and angular treatments to develop a primary logo, creatively embedding the mark in the final letter of Tournament.
For the secondary logo, I introduced a circular design to provide Talk Bout with a versatile option. Here, I incorporated the stripe element to bridge the white space between the top and bottom text, enhancing the design's balance and further connecting the logo to Jiu Jitsu’s ranked structure. This approach allowed me to create a visually engaging and meaningful logo suite that resonates with the brand’s identity and values.
Client Feedback and Design Adjustments
After presenting the initial creative to the client, I received feedback suggesting several adjustments, including switching the Tournament 5 secondary logo with the logo mark on the poster, adjusting logo placement on match and event social cards, and limiting the color scheme strictly to Solanco High School’s colors—white, black, and yellow.
In response, I incorporated the logo and layout changes as requested but raised some considerations about the color scheme change. I shared that while yellow was already featured prominently, limiting the palette strictly to yellow, black, and white might compromise the 90s retro aesthetic, flattening the design and potentially reducing its nostalgic appeal. Additionally, after consulting with fellow designers and marketers, I noted that the heavy use of school colors could make the event feel like a school-sponsored activity, which could confuse or even discourage some attendees.
The client appreciated my feedback and explained that aligning the color scheme with the event venue is important to the brand’s strategy, similar to WWE's approach of customizing event branding to reflect the host city. They highlighted the desire to link Talk Bout Tournament 5 with Solanco’s school identity, just as they did previously with Talk Bout Tournament 2 at Oxford High School. The client expressed enthusiasm for the 90s concept and confirmed it would have been perfect as-is if hosted at their home venue, Revolution Gym.
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This project highlighted the importance of presenting a moodboard early in the creative process, even within tight timelines like the 3-week turnaround here. Had I shared a moodboard at the outset, it could have clarified the client’s preference for a color scheme aligned with the venue’s colors (white, black, and yellow). Moving forward, I’ll prioritize moodboards to establish design expectations more clearly from the start.
This project also allowed me to explore and appreciate the bold, energetic qualities that made 90s advertising so impactful. It’s been a valuable learning experience in both client communication and 90s-inspired design.
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The attendance numbers for Tournament 5 will be available following the event on November 9th and will be provided shortly thereafter.
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“It has been a privilege to work with Brandon over the course of holding my 'Talk Bout Tournament' events. I got a closer look at his vision with my upcoming event 'Talk Bout Tournament 5'. His work speaks volumes, but his creativity & passion drives his craft. The detail can't go unnoticed in his exceptional work. I've known Brandon personally for over 5+ years and he is a wonderful human being. His youngest brother is my best friend and there isn't anyone I'd rather be creating the art behind Talk Bout. He always exceeds my expectations and would highly recommend working with Brandon, for his outstanding graphic design work.”
- Jack Marr