Buccaneers Highlight Projects
During my four years with the Buccaneers, I took on a variety of roles beyond my initial position as a Web Designer and Flash Developer. My work expanded to include using 3DS Max and Adobe After Effects to create animations for the Jumbotron, capturing gameday fan photography, and participating in community volunteer efforts. I especially enjoyed creating the Jumbotron animations, knowing they reached so many fans every game. I was also involved in two major website redesigns; however, the NFL eventually standardized all team websites, which unfortunately took away the unique character of each team’s site.
2007 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Website
This was my first redesign project back in 2007, and it was definitely over the top! The design featured swinging lanterns, a menu with planks that tilted on hover, a kickoff countdown clock, rotating ads with firing cannons, and even a skull emitting animated smoke. We eventually had to turn off the smoke animation because it was pushing the server to its limit. That experience taught me a valuable lesson: just because something looks cool and is technically possible doesn’t always mean it’s the best idea.
2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Website
The second redesign in 2010 took a much more streamlined approach, with Flash animations significantly scaled back. I submitted three books of unique design concepts to the owners, each showcasing that year’s theme along with matching print collateral, like banners, billboards, gameday giveaways, and other materials. Saying I put in long hours during those years would be an understatement!
Gameday Matchup Intro
This project really pushed my After Effects skills to a new level. It began as an in-depth breakdown of each week’s opponent and the keys to winning, divided into five sections: The Matchup, Players to Watch, Injury Report, and Series History. Each week, I received content from the writers and assets from the video department, and from there, I handled player cut-outs and any additional images needed to bring it all together.