For the historic 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, NBC Sports required a visual identity that felt both prestigious and modern. The goal was to honor the heritage of “The Run for the Roses” while creating a high-fidelity graphics package capable of performing across a marathon multi-platform broadcast.
I served as a lead motion designer, focusing on the architectural translation of the Derby’s brand assets into a motion graphics package.
Beyond the logo, I also designed a suite of custom transitions, lower-thirds, and other show package elements, ensuring visual continuity for a broadcast that averaged 16.7 million viewers—the highest viewership for the event since 1989.
Advanced 3D Modeling & Look Dev: Using Cinema 4D, I spearheaded the modeling and texturing of the official 150th logo. To provide the production team with versatility, I developed four distinct aesthetic directions:
Beyond the hero assets, I utilized Adobe After Effects to build a comprehensive toolkit of custom transitions and lower-thirds. These were engineered to be “modular”—maintaining a unified aesthetic while being flexible enough for various data-heavy sports graphics.
The final package provided a premium, cohesive “skin” for the entire broadcast, helping define the visual language of the milestone event.
Record-Breaking Reach:The broadcast became the most-watched Kentucky Derby since 1989.
Audience Growth:Averaged 16.7 million viewers, peaking at 20.1 million, representing a 13% increase in year-over-year viewership.
Brand Consistency: The 3D logo assets became the cornerstone of the event’s identity, used across NBC’s social, digital, and linear platforms.