If you’re working in sports, let your answer be a resounding yes. If not, be prepared to get left behind.

In this piece, we're going to give you 5 different creative areas your team can explore to mix things up for your team in 2025. It's a legit cheat code to stop your brand from becoming wallpaper.

As 2025 starts to heat up, it’s time to start asking the hard questions. Audiences want more. Their expectations from their favourite athletes, teams and leagues continue to rise. 

We’ve been there, it’s an overwhelming experience. Questions flowing through your brain:

• Where do I start? 
• How can I make an impact? 
• Who should I start working with?
• What’s going to set our brand apart from the noise? 

At Sport Design Australia, we’re in the hot seat talking to brands, creatives and fans on a regular basis. We’re working across Rugby League, Aussie Rules, Netball, Football, Basketball and more, so we see A LOT.

Here are five key areas that will help elevate your brand’s marketing and social graphics in 2025:

1. Your brand’s visual identity is screaming out for an update

Why it’s important: A strong and fresh visual identity sets the tone for everything your brand communicates. In 2025, it's no longer enough to rely on traditional design and what’s worked in the past. Your visuals should reflect the energy and evolution of your brand in order to resonate with the modern audience.

How can you elevate: Take a step back and understand how your visual identity is perceived. What are your fans saying? How are you perceived within your sport? It’s a great time to consider incorporating more flexible elements into your brand toolkit, or build in a brand dichotomy allowing you to adapt your brand to different contexts. Some brands that have done this well across sports include; Los Angeles Chargers, Phoenix Suns, LA Sparks and more. Re-energising your visual identity might include introducing more modern typography, different visual elements, updated color palettes, or even new iconography.

Check out how we helped NSWRL with their Men's & Women's Origin identities.

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2. Dabble in some new creative styles: Manipulation & Illustration

Why it’s important: Fans love unique, eye-catching visuals that capture the energy of the moment. There’s nothing greater than the satisfaction of seeing your fans drop comments like “Give the media team a raise” or “This is the best part of my week” when you release content on social media. For milestone moments, game-day excitement, and important announcements, it’s an opportunity to add some flare and push the boundaries of creativity.

How to elevate: This is the perfect time to experiment with creative techniques such as photo manipulation and illustration to highlight these key moments in your brand’s calendar. Think of those explosive, visually stunning graphic designs that take a moment, a match-up or an athlete and elevate it into a surreal, artistic expression that makes fans stop scrolling. By mixing traditional sports content across your brand’s social media channels, with bold & artistic designs, you can deliver content that feels like a visual experience, deepening that connection with your fans. Remember, not everything needs to fit strictly into your brand guidelines. They are guidelines after all.

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3. Get crazy. It’s time for Motion, VFX, and CGI to join the mixer

Why it’s important: The magic recipe of sports content lies in creating experiences that blur the line between the real world and fantasy. Fans want to feel immersed in the sport, not just watch it. With advancements in motion design, VFX, and CGI, you can take them to the next level.

How to elevate: Don’t just rely on traditional highlight reels. Use motion graphics and visual effects to transport fans into a hyper-realistic world, from CGI player intros that feel like a blockbuster film to dynamic, animated plays that are brought to life in a stunning new reality. Imagine enhancing pre-game promos with augmented visual effects, creating immersive stadium environments that explode off the screen, or bringing fans closer to the action in ways they never thought possible. Virtual and augmented experiences will become more mainstream in sports marketing by 2025, and brands that integrate VFX and CGI seamlessly will stand out.

4. Murals are back. Imagine the CEO’s response when they see the mural on their commute to the office.

Why it’s important: Physical spaces are a powerful medium for storytelling, and murals have become one of the most dynamic ways to communicate with fans in the real world. A mural is more than just art; it’s a canvas that can create a lasting connection between the brand, its fans, and the local community.

How to elevate: Use sports murals to make bold statements about your team, players, or key moments in your history. Whether it’s a massive mural in a city that’s home to your team or a more intimate piece that appears in-stadium or at fan events, murals have a unique ability to engage fans and spark social conversation. In 2025, you can elevate the experience by incorporating augmented reality elements that fans can interact with, making the mural come alive digitally. 

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5. Physical creative has never lost its impact

Why it’s important: While digital experiences will dominate, the physical world still holds tremendous value. Fans want to take a piece of the moment with them, and merchandise is a great way to extend the creative experience.

How to elevate: Don’t stop at digital content, expand your creative concepts into the physical realm. Release collectible posters, limited-edition merchandise, or even bespoke items that speak to the essence of key moments in your brand’s story. Think about how brands like the NBA and NFL have turned highlight moments into collectible items, or how brands like Nike use limited-edition sneakers to build hype. These tangible products not only strengthen the connection between the fan and the sport but also serve as physical reminders of key moments and milestones. Consider also creating unique fan experiences around these products, like pop-up stores or live merchandise releases that blend the physical and digital worlds.

Take a look at these custom illustration t-shirts we created to help Melbourne Storm celebrate 200 games for Nelson Asofa-Solomona

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2025 is about Elevation, Innovation, and Connection

This is your opportunity to take your sports marketing and social creative for your brand to the next level. 

This is the year to not only adapt to the future but to define it.

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