NHL Interstitial System

Role: Motion Graphics Designer
Client: AtmosphereTV
Graphic Design: Chase Pickering & Eric Andrews

A motion graphics system designed to unify NHL content across a sports broadcast channel. This project introduced structured storytelling along with templated interstitials to enable scalable, cohesive experiences across an entire league.

Deliverables

Matchup Wipes • Interstitials • Team Wipes • Game Timing Wipes • Player Wipes • Player Matchups • Stat Screen BG’s

I built a comprehensive motion graphics system designed to unify the visual look of NHL content across our sports broadcast channel. Rather than creating isolated templates and deliverables, I developed an interstitial package built on recurring design elements, animation behaviors, and reusable templates.

The result is a robust, cohesive ecosystem of motion graphics that brings consistency, pacing, and structure to NHL coverage. Aside from the package, I helped introduce a storytelling pipeline that added structure to the channel, designed to scale across all sports leagues coverage.

AE Components Page

Similar to component systems in Figma, this composition acts as a centralized “components page” within After Effects. It serves as a single source of truth for all team-specific data, including logos, color systems, tri-codes, and team metadata.

Built using expressions, dropdown menus, and structured controllers, this master setup demonstrates how the system functions prior to design and animation, allowing a single team selection to dynamically update all connected visual elements and metadata across the entire package.

Global Controls Page

Once the system was fully connected, I developed a global controls page to manage some shared attributes across all teams.

This setup allows me to quickly switch between a team’s primary, secondary, or tertiary color to easily ensure visual clarity across different use cases. I also centralized controls like stroke width for all logo variations, enabling adjustments to propagate system-wide from a single controller.

Rather than modifying individual assets, this approach demonstrates how the system can be art-directed at a global level, maintaining flexibility while preserving consistency across every deliverable.

The Solution

I designed a system that standardizes how NHL content is presented, introducing a consistent visual and narrative framework across all deliverables.

Instead of treating each graphic as a standalone piece, this system connects interstitials, highlights, and stat moments into a unified storytelling flow.

Each component shares the same visual DNA, allowing transitions between segments to feel intentional and seamless.

Design Quilt

System Design

This project is built as a true motion system, not just a collection of assets.

  • Templated Components
    Interstitials such as team wipes, player wipes, and matchup graphics are built from shared layouts and animation properties.

  • Reusable Animations
    Motion graphics are repurposed across deliverables. For example, elements of a player intro can also function as a looping background for player specific stat screens.

  • Consistent Visual Framework
    Recurring typography, layouts, and animation behaviors ensure every piece feels connected.

  • Editor-Focused Tools
    The system is designed for editors and producers, enabling them to quickly build cohesive highlight sequences without needing to build from scratch.

NHL (Centered with lines diverting out to graphics)

Components

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Technical Approach

Built in After Effects, the system leverages expressions and modular architecture to enable scalability.

  • Master Composition System
    A centralized setup defines each team’s:

    • Primary & secondary colors

    • Logo variations (full color, single color, stroke, masked)

    • Team metadata (city, name, tri-code, conference, division)

  • Dropdown-Driven Controls
    Editors select teams via dropdown menu controls.

  • Template-Based Workflow
    All animations are built as flexible templates, allowing rapid iteration and consistent output across multiple use cases.

Matchup Wipe

Game Highlights

Period Marker

Storytelling Pipeline

[ Matchup Wipe ]
Mogrt template
↓
[ Highlights ]
↓
[ Period Marker ]
Mogrt template
↓
[ Lower Third (Player Context) ]
↓
[ Results Wipe ]
↓
[ Stats Screen ]

Part of the problem I adressed with this project was an inconsistent storytelling flow. From highlights to post game stat screens there was an inconsistent look, flow and missed opportunities for motion graphics to aid the storytelling.

Storytelling Pipeline

L3rd Player Content

Results

Player In

Stat Screen

The Problem

Existing sports content lacked visual consistency, especially at the league level. Individual segments (matchups, highlights, stats) felt disconnected, often jumping between unrelated styles and interrupting the flow of storytelling.

This fragmentation made it difficult to create a clear and engaging viewer experience.