ROLE:
Design Director, Brand Creative, Graphic Design
TEAM:
GMI USA Corp Leadership, Product Development, Marketing, Sales
TIMELINE:
18 months
PROJECT
Creating multiple brand and visual identites for Lotto Sport Italia's USA Streetwear launch.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
How can we quickly provide our customers with compelling and exclusive clothing & merch from their favorite esports influencer?
OBJECTIVE
GMI USA Corp, a leading licensing partner, works with major retailers like Bloomingdale's and Macy's in B2B and B2C markets. The company developed a new streetwear brand under the Lotto Sport Italia license, blending athletic heritage with modern street style to create a unique market position.
OVERVIEW
RESPONSIBILITIES
-
Lead development of brand identity
-
Spearheaded the creation of seasonal stories and concepts
-
Orchestrated art projects
-
Drove partnerships with sales and marketing teams
-
Guided cross-functional efforts with business and marketing teams
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
-
Led the branding and apparel licensee development for Lotto Sport Italia’s collections.
-
Launched three (3) successful mass produced collections
-
Developed and launched a collab capsule collection with renowned streetwear retailer Atmos.
-
Leveraged sourcing contacts to accelerate development and manufacturing processes
PROJECT PROCESS
1
RESEARCH
1.1
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
BRAND REVIEW
We studied top streetwear brands within our target demographic, focusing on Aimé Leon Dore, Noah, and Kith, to guide our marketing strategy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
-
Differentiate Lotto NYC by incorporating Italian sport heritage to create a fusion of street style and European athletic tradition.
-
Create a sophisticated market position moving away from hype-driven trends to target upscale retailers like Nordstrom and Saks.
1.2
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
BRAND HISTORY
Lotto Sport Italia's peak from the 70s to early '00s inspired our start-up's retro-style collections. We focused on:
-
Brand inception in 1973
-
Sponsored teams and athletes
-
Graphic direction, colors, fabrics, and silhouettes from this era
-
Soccer focus, particularly AC Milan and Juventus
-
Incorporating current trends that reference this period
PLAYERS
TEAMS
2
BRAND DEVELOPMENT:
CULTIVATING AN IDENTITY
Brand development focused on creating a unique identity that fused Italian sports heritage with New York street culture, targeting sophisticated consumers. This process involved careful persona creation, brand personality crafting, and logo development to establish a distinctive presence in the upscale streetwear market
2.1
PERSONA
BIO
Lucas is an advertising manager at a mid-sized agency. Lucas has a strong fashion sense and mainly shops online. He likes to find new brands with a point of view and / or unexpected collabs. Lucas tends toward streetwear and athleisure that can be dressed up for work. Lucas' girlfriend Mia also enjoys shopping and finding items he can wear.
GOALS
-
Expressing his unique personal style
-
Standing out in his professional and social circles
-
Supporting brands with strong values and compelling narratives
PAIN POINTS
-
Difficulty finding brands that balance sophistication with street style
-
Frustrated by mass-market fashion lacking authenticity or quality
LUCAS
AGE: 33
MARITAL STATUS: Has a girlfriend
OCCUPATION: Advertising Manager
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
INCOME: 165K
2.2
BRAND PERSONALITY
2.3
LOGO DEVELOPMENT
EVOLVING THE LOGO
We tried several ways to add "NYC" to the Lotto logo. After testing different fonts and colors, we settled on using a neutral grey for "NYC". This choice maintains the logo's versatility across seasons and applications while complementing the colorful, graphic nature of the brand.
Logo exploration adding NYC in the same font as Lotto
A
B
-
A - Exploration of NYC placement by original
-
B - Color exploration
Further exploration of NYC with chosen placement
2.4
PRINTED ASSETS
3
LINE DEVELOPMENT:
3.1 SPRING COLLECTION: LA GAZETTA
THEME
Our first collection was inspired by a 2006 La Gazzetta dello Sport cover featuring Luca Toni, celebrating Italy's World Cup semi-final win over Germany.
MOOD BOARD
La Gazzetta dello Sport's bold color blocks inspired our styling. We incorporated multicolor prints, bold typography, layering, and paper-like effects to evoke a retro newspaper feel.
COLOR
Color inspiration came from primary tones with a twist, based on the La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
PANTONE 19-0303 TCX
CYMK 0 0 0 0
RGB 255 255 255
HEX 321F20
PANTONE 17-1324 TCX
CYMK 33 52 64 11
RGB 50 31 32
HEX 9C7961
PANTONE 18 -1655 TCX
CYMK 11 100 97 3
RGB 190 30 45
HEX BE1E2D
PANTONE 14-0852 TCX
CYMK 3 13 11 0
RGB 239 222 216
HEX EFDED8
PANTONE 18 -3949 TCX
CYMK 89 71 0 0
RGB 23 79 204
HEX 174FCC
LA GAZETTA: SELECTED DEVELOPMENT
3.1a
A RETRO REMIX:
COLORBLOCK HOODIE:
The colorblock hoodie and shorts showcased bold color with a retro feel to appeal to the streetwear consumer. I used unexpected text placements at the shoulder and back chest with bold, clear fonts that would evoke sports fonts as seen on soccer jerseys.
final design
3.1b
JERSEY NUMBERS REIMAGINED:
NUMBERS PRINT
I was inspired to create the “Numbers” print from the bold numbers on the back of soccer jerseys and wanted to show a layered image to read 1, 2 or 3 depending on how the viewer sees it. I layed this overtop of a paper-like effect to tie the artwork back to the newspaper theme.
KIT STRIPES REBORN:
MESH | TERRY POLO & SHORT
Our Mesh / Terry Polo and Short featured bold black stripes inspired by AC Milan and Juventus soccer jerseys. We combined mesh and terry fabrics for a comfortable, versatile streetwear look.
3.1c
initial design
We included a large patch on the back of the shirt to evoke a number placement but removed it due to pricing and salability concerns
final design
ATMOS COLLAB
3.1d
LOTTO x ATMOS:
STREETWEAR STRATEGY
A strategic collaboration with Atmos played a crucial role in Lotto's entry into the competitive streetwear market. This partnership leveraged Atmos's established reputation to enhance Lotto's credibility and visibility within this landscape.
COLLAB PROCESS POINTS
-
Developed logo lockup with Atmos team.
-
Created capsule assortment influencing Lotto's line.
-
Adjusted silhouettes based on Atmos' streetwear research.
-
Added all-over print cargo with NEWSPAPER PRINT to unify capsule.
NEWSPAPER
ALL-OVER PRINT
We created a newspaper-style print for our capsule collection, featuring all colors and our theme. We added depth by incorporating Italian soccer history as background text, creating an abstract pattern that enhanced the design's visual appeal and meaning.
rough sketch
initial CAD
final
design
3.1e
PRINT ASSETS: BRAND IDENTITY IN PRINT
We created print materials to market our startup, including a newspaper on Lotto Sport Italia's history and Lotto NYC's launch, plus lookbooks and brochures. These tools helped our teams engage clients and build brand awareness.
3.2 SUMMER COLLECTION: THE GOLDEN BOOT
During our sophomore season, we honed our brand narrative to resonate with key cultural touchstones, enhancing our connection with our target demographic.
THEME
We drew inspiration from Italian football, specifically striker Luca Toni's Golden Boot win while sponsored by Lotto. We incorporated the dual-use nature of Italian stadiums for sports and concerts, linking streetwear with music culture to appeal to our target audience.
GRAPHIC DIRECTION
Drawing from 70s to early 00s influences, we incorporated graphic elements inspired by David Carson's work for RayGun Magazine (1992-2000). Known for its progressive approach to advertising, music, and pop culture, Carson's deconstructive typography and experimental layouts shaped our design, supporting Lotto's strategy for innovative and distinctive visuals.
MOOD BOARD
Gold and Yellow shades reflect the "Golden Boot" inspiration. Various yellow hues represent gold. Our design draws from contemporary 3D imagery and inverted color trends, creating an intentionally imperfect, digitized aesthetic.
PANTONE 19-0303 TCX
HEX 321F20
PANTONE 17-0636 TCX
HEX 857946
PANTONE 11-0604 TCX
HEX 857946
PANTONE 14-0755 TCX
HEX DDB614
PANTONE 12-0660 TCX
HEX DDB614
PANTONE 17-3914 TCX
HEX 848587
THE GOLDEN BOOT: SELECTED DEVELOPMENT
3.2a
NOSTALGIC AUDIO:
CASSETTE TAPE PRINT
I created a retro cassette graphic appealing to streetwear customers by mixing music nostalgia with contemporary glitch art. The result is a versatile graphic that captures the intersection of retro cool and street edge, resonating with fashion-conscious consumers who value music-inspired style.
initial cassette
tape images
cassette
images
layered:
1 repeat
final artwork:
1 repeat
3.2b
A PLAYFUL TYPOGRAPHY EXPERIMENT: CARNIVAL PRINT
I created the Carnival Print for the collection to showcase vibrant color graphics and expand on our creative experimentation with typography and layering.
inspiration
image
The original inspiration came from Japanese art (artist unknown). The image of a carnival ride with inverted photocopy effects evoked the aesthetic we were seeking.
3.2c
EVOLVING THE ALL-OVER PRINT: LOTTO GEO PRINT
The Lotto Geo print was our response to the rising popularity of all-over patterned tracksuits, allowing us to embrace the trend while showcasing our distinctive brand identity. We transitioned from an initial yellow and olive concept to an olive and black colorway for the all-over pattern, anticipating greater versatility and wider market appeal throughout our product range
initial CAD in yellow/olive colorway
final design:
olive/black colorway
3.2d
EXPANDING VISUAL IDENTITY: VISUAL MERCHANDISING
As we entered our second season, we focused on amplifying our marketing presence by creating design ideas for posters, trade show booths, and storefronts that focused on clean vibrant imagery and streamlined logo presentation.
outdoor posters
store-front concept
tradeshow booth
concept
3.3 FALL COLLECTION: 1982
By our third season we had a more defined formula for design aesthetic and print direction.
THEME
This theme focused on the 1982 FIFA World Cup where Italy defeated West Germany 3-1. The theme also drew from 1982 pop culture, including films like Blade Runner and Tron.
MOOD BOARD
For this concept, we aimed to blend nostalgic elements from the 1980s with a modern, futuristic sensibility. Drawing inspiration from the iconic sci-fi films Tron and Blade Runner, the overall look features bold, neon-tinged color palettes and sharp geometric shapes. Echoing the retro-futuristic style of 1980s techno-pop bands and airbrushed artwork, the graphics use dynamic lighting effects, glowing outlines, and contrasts between light and dark, positive and negative space.
1982: SELECTED DEVELOPMENT
3.3a
RETRO-FUTURE FUSION: TRON PRINT
Drawing from the visuals of Tron and the dynamic movement of the AC Milan soccer team, the graphic design created a nostalgic yet futuristic aesthetic that appealed to our customers seeking colorful, cutting-edge products.
inspiration image:
AC Milan running onto the field
inspiration image:
Tron, 1982
INITIAL CADS AND REPEAT OPTION
AC MILAN RUNS
ONTO THE FIELD
3.3b
HIGH CONTRAST THROWBACK:
TODAY ITALY PRINT
Inspiration for this artwork was a magazine cover graphic with the phrase “Today Italy” and created a similar visual to fit in well with our 1982 theme.