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The College Football Playoff is a postseason tournament that determines the college football national champion. For the second consecutive year, I was lucky enough to be selected to work as a graphic designer for the most prestigious set of games in the sport. This year, I was able to lead the design side of content as I built out the art direction and brand guidelines. With an aim to build upon the 2025 identity, the 2026 art direction featured unique custom-made Blender 3D logos, metal textures, diamond accents, and an embellishment system that conveyed a sense of prestige and grit.
The Goal
CFP National Championship Miami, FL
As the finale to a historic season of college football, these pieces saw the core CFP themes ramp up to the max. Black and CFP Gold dominated the look, while new custom logo styles and a consistent National Championship-specific lockup brought consistency to this specific set. The most impactful piece to this altered identity, however, was its Miami inspiration. As the host city for the 2026 National Championship, it was imperative to tie the roots and themes of this special city into the CFP brand. As a result, the identity switched gears and leaned into Miami’s Art Deco art and architectural culture. A custom Art-Deco typeface, custom Art-Deco linework, and a black “Miami Nights” inspired theme spearheaded the look.
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CFP Semifinal
To make the CFP Semifinal feel elevated, gold elements were added to the identity. With many of the silvers turning gold, these pieces conveyed the idea that the sport’s culmination was near.
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CFP Quarterfinal
As the CFP Quarterfinal was still the opening round for half of the remaining teams, the identity remained the same. Silver tones dominated once again, but canvas colors were flipped to keep each piece fresh.
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CFP First Round
The CFP First Round content was dominated by silver tones - an intentional decision to allow for the identity to evolve. These pieces remained consistent with what had been established, while sprinkling in new elements to subtly elevate the identity.
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First Round Build-Up
To build anticipation and celebrate the chosen teams, these pieces added context and depth to the graphic storytelling aspect.
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CFP Selection Day
For selection day, one of the most important days of the college football season, the level of intensity was ramped up. This set hinged on an “IN” motif, adding structure and a layering system - one that would become a core piece in the 2026 art direction.
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NFL Content
These pieces of NFL content celebrated the stars that have shined in both the CFP and the NFL, adding variety to the graphic content.
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CFP Top 25 Rankings
Throughout the month of November, weekly ranking graphics and accompanying one-offs were created to showcase the teams represented in the College Football Playoff Top 25. These pieces of content helped build anticipation for what would follow, and set a baseline for the art direction to build upon.
Thank you for viewing!