Credits

Creative Director: Matt Coyle RGD

Art Director: Kevin Mones

Designer/Animator: Kevin Briones

Designer/Animator for “Big Rings” and “Playoffs”: Davor Mihalji

Animator for “Playoffs”: Sean Curry

Projection Animator: Ryan Massiah

Executive Producer: Michael Gelfand

Editor/Associate Producer: Mark Vallena

Producer: Adam Holmes

Description

The goal of any opening is to create hype around a team and make fans believe that they can no matter who enters the building. It also helps to intimidate the opponent before tip-off. This design used aggressive visuals that were cut to aggressive music, creating an atmosphere of dominance. Coming off of the Raptors’ overwhelmingly successful regular season, followed by the disappointing first round of the playoffs, the team’s fan base became deflated and needed encouragement. This challenge was addressed head-on with the execution of this design — and the results were tremendous. Fans brought a playoff energy every time the team took to the court, developing a reputation as one of the most dedicated and vocal fan bases in the league, and leading to the team’s best home record in history.

In-House Design Awards 2016