Kickoff
I was part of the creative team behind the NFL x EA Sports HBCU Madden Tournament, a project that blended competitive gaming, community engagement, and brand storytelling. My role focused on conducting user research and creative strategy to ensure the tournament not only reached its audience but resonated deeply with HBCU students, alumni, and gaming communities.
Challenge
The project faced the unique challenge of connecting two worlds: the culture of HBCUs and the rapidly growing community of competitive gaming. To succeed, we needed to understand how students and alumni engaged with esports, what motivated their participation, and how to authentically represent HBCU identity within a national NFL and EA Sports platform.
Solution
I conducted audience research with many HBCU students, alumni, and esports enthusiasts to identify their expectations, cultural touchpoints, and pain points. This work informed how we shaped the tournament’s visual identity, messaging, and digital presence to highlight authenticity and school pride. I translated research insights into creative assets, including branded visuals, social media content, and experiential design that honored HBCU heritage while aligning with the NFL and EA Sports standards. The result was an engaging, culturally relevant tournament experience that drove participation, amplified visibility for HBCU students
Check out the full process by clicking the button below
Logo
Out of Home Design
PROCESS
SITE MAP
Fidelity Wire Frame
The wireframe for the Madden NFL 22 HBCU Tournament, sponsored by the NFL, presents a blueprint of user experience designed to immerse participants in the tournament. The homepage effectively highlights essential features such as tournament information, and upcoming events
Prototype
The prototype was the first iteration of the platform. Its user-centric function was repurposed to be a registration guiding point. The Site itself had some bugs that were later worked out, including an alignment issue and restructuring information on the site map to be a one-page scroll user experience.
Official Design
Linked Files