Studio Brief: 'Research, Collect, Communicate: Product' Research

We have been given a research brief where we have to look at a random topic that we have been individually given in order produce some informed work for the next brief. I was given the topic of Baseball.

If I'm being honest, the only thing I know about Baseball is that it's an American sport so the first thing I wanted to do was get some basic facts and knowledge about it so that I would be able to follow it from an outsiders perspective. I felt it was important that I learn what it is and how it is played so I could understand a match. This seemed like the first logical step in my research.

Baseball Initial Information:

• There are 2 major leagues in Major League Baseball- American League and National League
• It runs from April to September
• Each club plays 162 games
• Players get 1 day off every 10 days
• Normally, 2 teams will play a series of 3 or 4 games against each other consecutively
• The World Series is a championship match played between the winners of the American League & the National League
• An All Star Game is a match between the best players in each league against each other
• The difference between the American League & National League Baseball is something called 'The Designated Hitter Rule'. It is used in American League so pitchers do not hit for themselves whereas it is not used at all in National League. If an American League Team and National League Team meet, 'The Designated Hitter Rule' is used in the American League Ballpark matches and not used in the National League Ballpark matches.

How to Play:

• The field is known as a Diamond and has 3 corners which are the Bases. The area further out to that is known as the Outfield.
• The objective of the game is to score runs by getting players to hit the ball and run to these bases. When they get to the Home base, they score a run.
• There are 3 ways to get a player out: Flied Out (where the Fielder will catch the ball), Put Out (Touching a Runner with the ball when he isn't on a base) & Strike Out (Where a Pitcher throws 3 strikes or misses/hits a foul ball).
• There are 9 innings in a Baseball game. An inning comes to an end when 3 hitters have been taken out and they swap with the fielding team. After 9 innings, whoever has the most runs is the winning team.

                                        Gameplan Baseball (n.d) How Baseball Works: The Basics of Baseball"[ Internet] Available from http://www.howbaseballworks.com/TheBasics.htm (Accessed 10th December 2012)

This basic research aided my understanding as it gave me some clarity into the basics of the game.
The first thing that seemed like a starting place to go along with for my research is to actually see a match of Baseball being played. This would put into context all of the rules and allow me to learn through the game being played.

The problem with my topic is that geographically I cannot witness a match for myself or go to see one because I cannot physically get to America. Also, I cannot see a match in the UK or see a live one on TV because Baseball is only in season between the months of April-September so I am very limited in what I could do. I managed to find a full match on Youtube so I watched this in order to get a feel for the game and the way its run.

"2012 FHSAA 8A Baseball Championship Final- Columbus Explorers vs Spruce Creek Hawks"

 Play On Network (2012) "2012 FHSAA 8A Baseball Championship Final" Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ljwq62A9ig (Accessed 23rd December 2012)

This really opened my eyes to the sport as it gave me some context to put the rules into. I didn't fully understand the game and I think that would come with more practise at seeing Baseball but it did give me an insight into the atmosphere and the passion that the fans have for the game.

 I managed to find some baseball shirts that I had in my wardrobe that had been brought back from America for me from my Dad when he last went:

Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees Baseball Jerseys

From this, I thought about going into the different logos, team names or mascots that teams have;

Due to the grand scale of teams that are available, I felt that it was quite a broad area to go in particularly due to the identities that they have already have. I felt it might be ideal to have a look at some baseball graphic design just so I could get some inspiration

"Orioles Buck O'Neill Baseball Complex" by Keith Kellner 
Kellner, K. "Orioles Buck O'Neill Baseball Complex" [Internet] Available from http://keithkellner.com/projects/oriolesbuck-oneil-baseball-complex/ (Accessed 18th December 2012)

These environmental designs are based on Baseball cards which show illustrations of players (past and present) from the club the Orioles. The illustrative style allows for a quirky yet traditional aesthetic to the designs whereas the other, more digital-based player designs give a modern approach therefore giving the message to the wider audience that they are a club that is looking to the future.

"Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947- 1957" (2008) by Pentagram
Society for Environmental Graphic Design (2008) "Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947-1957" [Internet] Available from http://www.segd.org/design-awards/5264/5288.html#/design-awards/2008-design-awards/glory-days-new-york-baseball-1947-1957.html (Accessed 18th December 2012)

This design for a baseball museum exhibition is fun and interactive, with the large scale environmental graphics not allowing you to take your eyes from the spectacle and actually look at the museum pieces, overshadowing it somewhat due to the novelty. The choices of shapes and imagery is relevant, staying true to the tradition and culture of the sport as well as the environmental aspects giving the museum exhibition an identity.

Research Focus- Moneyball:

Whilst researching into the basics of Baseball, I found it difficult to pin down a certain area that I would like to focus on. I couldn't find anything that I felt was either focused enough or interested me personally. It was just by chance whilst watching a film programme that I spotted the film 'Moneyball'. I didn't even know what it was specifically based on within Baseball- only that it was based on my topic so I thought I would give it a watch as I didn't have anything to loose.

"Moneyball"
Miller, B. (Director) (2011) 'Moneyball' [film] USA: Columbia Pictures

The idea behind 'Moneyball' is based on Oakland Athletics Baseball Team and thier manager Billy Beane who, with the help of statistician Paul dePodesta, come up with an intellectual way to choose players in order to create an effective amount of wins by getting players who consistantly get on first base as well as choosing players for thier skills in certain areas in order to create consistant averages that would lead for them to be just as good as all the other teams.

Whilst I was watching the film, I made some notes on points of interest and made print screens on the parts which interested me the most:

Unfair Disadvantage between rich and poor clubs

Negotiations within clubs and between clubs based on their idea of player value

Statistical Method of Moneyball which mathematically finds player value

0-5mins- Pressure & Intensity of Professional Sports Matches (Emotional Investment of Matches)
6-12mins- Financing that goes into players (Politics, Choices, Business)
               - Reasons behind choosing players (Eye Candy, Girlfriends Appearance, Skill, Attitude,
                                                                         Likability, Hits, Runs, Development, Fan Reception)
13-16mins- Player Negociation Meeting for Players between Teams
26-27mins- Mathematics behind Player Values
                 - Formulae based on amounts of hits, runs, ect.
30mins- Defects make people undesirable and thus undervalued
42mins- Life for an unsuccessful player- Making a choice between your possible futures at a young
                                                                  age
                                                                - Can you determine how successful someone will be based
                                                                  on thier potential at a young age
                                                                - Mathematics vs Scout/ Human Experience
48-50mins- Insight into Trainging routines- Exercises, Preparation and practises
52mins- How a game is run- Fans, Anthem, Routine
1hr50mins- Scale of Ball Park

Design Sheet with notes and questions

Based on the notes that I was taking and the arguments raised within the film, I wanted to gauge what other people would think about approaching sports business in this way. From this, I wrote down some questions and decided to turn it into a questionnaire:

Word Document Questionnaire

I didn't want to just send it to people in my class as that would make the audience of my questionnaire irrelevant and the information I would gather invalid to what I wanted to know. Therefore I sent it to 3 different people/organisations in the Baseball Industry;

British Baseball Federation

Major Baseball League Organisation

Sports Illustrated Baseball Journalist

From these emails I sent, I got these replies:

MBL Reply

British Baseball Federation

I will take up the opportunity given to me by the British Baseball Federation as I think it would be really good to get an informed opinion and insight by people who know a lot more about the topic than me.

Following from this, we had to begin finding research into graphic design based on our subject matter. I know it would be difficult finding some graphic design on the 'Moneyball' concept so I kept it broad with sticking to just the baseball theme.

"Help Us Bring It Back' (2012) by Joan McGuire
McGuire, J. (2012) "Help Us Bring It Back" [Internet] Available from http://joanmcguire.com/design/gd1a.html (Accessed 10th January 2013)

This brochure, which doubles up as a mail shot, is quite old fashioned in the choice of layout and graphic presentation as it mixes the graphic imagery and the photography together creating an old style overlapping which wouldn't be seen nowadays, however, this is providing an integrity and authenticity to the brochure itself. The function is to encourage people to go to more Baseball games and help campaign for baseball in the city as well as be informative as to the cause it is supporting.

"162pixels" (2012) by John. T. Meyer
Miller, A. (2012) "Sioux Fall Guy Simplifies Complex Realm of Advanced Baseball Stats" [Weblog] 19th March Fast Horse Available from http://fasthorseinc.com/blog/2012/03/19/sioux-falls-guy-simplifies-complex-realm-of-advanced-baseball-stats/ (Accessed 10th January 2013)

This infographic is distinctive and instantly makes the audience recognize the subject matter of the information being given. The use of the joined up lettering, handwritten style font is decorative yet also ties in well with the baseball theme, giving the infographic a very classy and traditional aesthetic. The paraphernalia of baseball things has produced very relevant yet exciting approaches to pictogram and showing information- particularly the loading bar in the shape of a bat.

"2012 Nike MBL All-Star Retailer Event Invitation"(2012) by HUB

The Dieline (2012) "2012 Nike MBL All-Star Retailer Event Invitation" [Weblog] The Dieline Available from http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/7/25/2012-nike-mlb-all-star-retailer-event-invitation.html (Accessed 10th January 2013)

These invitations use product and packaging to produce a 3-Dimentional edible way of tantalising the audience into finding out more and more about the information about the retreat they are being invited to. Each piece of the Invitation reveals a small piece of information thereby working as a collaborative set to allow for the receiver to find out from each of the clues. The physicality is what makes it the most interesting as the printed elements give a classy and professional finish, particularly the stunning labels.

"100 Years of Fenway- Boston Magazine" (2012) by Two Arms
Two Arms (2012) "100 Years of Fenway- Boston Magazine" [Internet] Available from http://twoarmsinc.com/work/view/100_years_of_fenway_boston_magazine (Accessed 10th January 2013)

This publication has been given a rustic aesthetic so that it fits in with the idea of longevity and the history that's associated with the game. The chosen colours of red, white and blue keep the game patriotic as it is 'America's pastime' which is only reinforced by the choice of shapes, like stars, giving it a very Americana feel. There is no playful relationship between the body copy and the header font but the fact that the publication has full graphic pages and photo pages means that it can have some of its own time to shine.

Whilst compiling some of these baseball graphic design inspirations, I had come up with some initial ideas alongside so that I wouldn't be restricted by the choices. As I was doing this, I had a brainwave and realized an area of relevance I could go into- Baseball cards.

Baseball cards allow you to have information and statistics as well as be a visual format for someone to learn from. I felt this would be relevant to my theme as I could use it to teach people the concept of 'Moneyball' in an interactive way. Despite being Baseball cards, they wouldn't need to be in a fixed manner: they could be as plain as stickers or as detailed as Top Trumps cards, but I felt that this was a clever and relevant direction to go in which fits in perfectly with my theme.

"Grand Slam Baseball Promotion" (2007) by John Lopes 
John Lopes (2007) "Grand Slam Baseball Promotion" [ Weblog] 5th August Clean Slate Design Available from http://cleanslatedesign.wordpress.com/category/print/direct-mail/ (Accessed 10th January 2013)

These promotional cards are fun and quirky as they have a solid graphic background which makes the photograph of the player stand out and look even more iconic. The fact that the layouts are consistent but different in each one makes them all individual and would be more encouraging for fans to try and collect them all. The fact that they come in their own packs is quite interesting which adds an extra element of consideration that has gone into the design.

"Paul Rand/ Pablo Ferro Baseball Cards" (2012) by Robert Miranda
Miranda, R. (2012) "Paul Rand/ Pablo Ferro Baseball Cards" [Weblog] 9th May The Behance Network Available from http://www.behance.net/gallery/Paul-Rand-Pablo-Ferro-Baseball-Cards/3881141 (Accessed 10th January 2013)

These Baseball cards aren't based on baseball players or teams but on Graphic Designers, which may mean that they loose their relevance somewhat but it provides yet another layout to consider. The aesthetic is yet again retro and aged yet this makes it appear classic in the eyes of the Baseball card style. There isn't a lot of consistancy within these but the use of the design works make them stand out and eye-catching, giving them a sort of iconic status in their own right.

"Design a Vintage Baseball Card in Photoshop" (2011) by Nikola Lazarevic
Lazarevic, N. (2011) "Design a Vintage Baseball Card in Photoshop" [Weblog] 30th March Design Instruct Available from http://designinstruct.com/graphic-design/design-a-vintage-baseball-card-in-photoshop/ (Accessed 10th January 2013)

This baseball card design is even older in their aesthetic appearance as it uses a faded yellow for the borderline and the colouration in the background looks like it has been made from watercolours. The use of information is put in bold, block font which makes it stand out and legible yet due to the size, makes it minimal in the quantity of information available.The player is the main focus of the card which is the most important thing yet the logo in the corner is also vying for your attention due to its strong physical presence.

"United States of Baseball" (2012) by  Left Field Cards
Left Field Cards (2012) "United States of Baseball" [Internet] Available from http://www.leftfieldcards.com/products (Accessed 11th January 2013)

Baseball players who all share the name of presidents make up this regal set of handmade, letterpressed set of Baseball cards. The minimalistic choice of colours make for a simplistic design yet the hand-drawn elements to the work makes it a lot more clustered and imperfect, adding to the homely authenticity of the cards. This is an alternative media to what is normally used to produced baseball cards so this gives a refreshing new outlook as to how baseball cards are produced.

"NEW YORK YANKEES" (2009) by Mark Brooks

Brooks, M. (2009) "NEW YORK YANKEES" [Weblog] The Behance Network 17th September Available from http://www.behance.net/Gallery/NEW-YORK-YANKEES--MARIANO-RIVERA/307614 (Accessed  11th January 2013)

These posters were given out at a New York Yankees game and the mixture of text and image gives the aesthetic of Baseball Card whilst having a sophisticated design which has texture, overlapping and plays with the relationship between the audience and the players composition in the poster. This really gives an updated, classy appearance to the traditional Baseball style yet this also gives it more of a corporate image therefore perhaps loosing some of its roots in the traditional stakes.

After doing this research and deciding to work on producing some Baseball Cards, I managed to organise a phone call with Bob Fromer from the British Baseball Federation in order to get an informed opinion on some of the questions I had posed.

Email Correspondance to Organise Phone Meeting

Notes Taken from the Phone Conversation with Bob Fromer

I really respect the fact that Bob took the time to talk to me about my questions. I didn't expect to get a reply and I got a lot of detailed answers which I can use when taking ideas for my cards which I am thankful for. As you can tell from the scan, I took a lot of notes from the conversation. You'll have to excuse the fact that my handwriting is difficult to read! I want to take the information that Bob gave me and put it towards devising the categories I am going to use for my 'Moneyball' Baseball Cards.