Project Overview
Project
Livestream Overhaul
ROLE
Product Design, Systems Building
PROBLEM AREA
Brand cohesion
DURATION
3 Years
TOOLS USED
Figma, AfterEffects, Premiere, CaptureOne, Lightroom, Singular
Existing Product
Making it to a national championship is a huge deal! Athletes' friends and family tune in from all over the nation to watch them compete.
Previously, live streams even at the national level had no cohesive branding. They changed yearly depending on who was running the competition. They launched straight into the competition without a pre-show.
They used a third party software called LiftingCast to display real-time athlete information. Since then, powerlifting broadcasting as a whole has undergone a renaissance of customization, but USA Powerlifting was falling behind. I brought forth an initiative to standardize and elevate the broadcast for national championship live streams.
OVERVIEW
Project Scope
This was an ambitious project, spanning equipment procurement, digital asset creation, organization and actually running live streams. I launched into a massive overhaul of the digital presence of USA Powerlifting and taught myself countless skills over two years of project development. I excel with nebulous, large projects and was able to devote my time toward learning new skills, bringing together stakeholders, and ultimately delivering a refined experience. This culminated in the 2024 USA Powerlifting Raw National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Here’s a selection of the process and deliverables over this period.
Phase 1
Research and Preparation
Modern sports broadcasts are a collection of a large range of subcomponents. USA Powerlifting as a nonprofit wants a professional appearance on a budget.
Problem Statements — what needs attention?
How can we standardize our livestreams?
Remove unnecessary design elements and reduce visual crowding around data.
Audiences come to trust broadcasts that are familiar; It should be easy to see the same overlays, hear the same voices and sense the same excitement.
How can we visually stand out?
What will keep viewers coming back again?
By using motion design and multiple camera angles, we can keep tthe audience engaged even during less exciting parts of the sport of powerlifting.
What features can we add to our production?
(without spending an arm and a leg)
Looking to FOX Sports, UFC, ABC, and other major networks, what can we use for powerlifting broadcasts?
PLANNING
Early Research Questions
What does the audience see as great competition coverage?
What hardware and software do other major broadcasting streams use?
How do other broadcasts implement instant replay?
What guides great sports commentators, and how do they work with broadcast directors?
What’s the cheapest and most reliable method of video and audio signal transmission, both wired and wireless?
What principles affect shot composition and scene transitions?
How are live overlays created and integrated with the content on screen?
How can we distribute a data storage solution that empowers the federation to create their own content?
PLANNING
Early Design Research
A combination of visual collage and borrowing the best ideas from around the internet, watching more than my fair share of sports, combined with the brand’s own image led the way forward: clean, professional, Olympic, athletic, with minimal visual disturbances.
Tags
Status tags for indicating weight class, rank, or other quantified measures.
Stylized Photos
Desaturated blacks and powerful visuals tell the story more than words ever will.
Pen & Ink
Elements of handwriting (scribbles, markers, tears) connect visuals to old record-keeping.
Font Treatment
Tall, bold letters combine with all caps italics for a versatile, athletic pairing.
Camera Frames
By borrowing elements from the real world, we connect the viewer to the action in a closer way.
Phase 2
Ideate
After early research, it was time to play within the constraints and seek solutions.
DESIGN PHASE
Design Brainstorming
Early efforts attempted to create a cohesive look and feel, focusing on the action and providing timely overlays. Overlay creation and integration was a major part of the process
DESIGN PHASE
Logo Redesign
There was nothing wrong with their prior logo mark besides that USA Powerlifting (USAPL) needed a miniaturized version for use in small places. Often times, responsive logo design allows for a wide range of size and intent. This was one of my first suggestions to USA Powerlifting and opened the door for animations and small placements later on. After the basic miniature logo was created, I modified each letter size and spacing for visual balance.
Old logo would have made the word “powerlifting” far too small on live streams, especially when viewed on mobile devices.
Sometimes, simplicity allows for a wider variety of use cases. This logo can serve both as logo mark and repeated background.
Sample Treatments
DESIGN PHASE
3D Rendering
To create static and mobile backgrounds, I measured and recreated a competition barbell in Blender to perfect scale, including the numbers on plates, plate thickness, height of the letters, barbell collars, and the knurl of the bar (a fun one to create in Blender)
Motion Graphics
Animated Backgrounds
Using the barbell, plates, and other assets, I created simple dynamic backgrounds that could display behind overlays, tables, or athlete information.
Play
Play
Play
Play
Advanced Athlete Graphics
Other graphics integrated typography for use in live broadcast environments. It took some time to learn how to animate letter changes and advanced keyframing. Some basic AfterEffects plug-ins made this process more achievable.
Play
Play
Play
Play
Play
Play
Static Design
Social Media
Design templates were meant to strike the brand’s tone and position: assertive and professional, but a federation for the people.
Phase 3
Overlays
Using Singular.live, I created an overlays package that could be used in real time during broadcasts.
Pre-Show/Post-Show
Play
Schedule of lifting allows fans to see when their favorite athlete might be lifting.
Play
A timeline of events allows the federation to highlight the history of a record, weight class, or event.
Play
Hero displays give the federation the ability to show off the skills of a particular athlete.
Play
Intermission template rotates through brand-specific information, retaining audience attention between the action.
Play
Qualifying totals are linked to Google Sheets for easy data updating and display.
Play
News ticker that rotates through competition events to keep the audience interested.
During Competition
Each overlay was handmade in Singular.live and linked to data sources, allowing a controller to automate some overlays while others are triggered manually based on context.
Play
Phase 4
Buildout
USA Powerlifting required a computer capable of handling advanced graphics, camera ingesting, and stream output, cameras, and audio equipment to run a professional broadcast.
Phase 5
Guides
I created guides to make subroles easier, including technical director, replay operator, PTZ operator, social media operator, platform-side interviewer, steadicam, and dolly camera operator.
Phase 6
Live Broadcasting
My role included live production, setup, testing, and directing during intense, and very long days
Here's a few photos hurriedly taken between checking stream uptime, cueing commentators, or triggering intermissions.
