Sager Strong
Brand Identity, Apparel, Web Design, Fund Raising
How do you tastefully raise money for a beloved NBA sideline reporter’s fight with leukemia, who is known for his unique taste in suits?
Craig Sager was known for his bright suits, his memorable sideline interviews with the NBA's biggest players/coaches, and his unwavering optimism during his fight with acute myeloid leukemia. 500 Level was privileged to be asked to come up with a shirt to help raise money for the Sager Strong Foundation. The foundation donates proceeds to go directly to fund clinical trials and cancer research for Leukemia and other blood cancers.
Creatively, it was tough to figure out what type of design would embody such an outgoing and beloved figure. That changed after he gave his powerful ESPN speech to accept the Jimmy V award. He wore a suit that only Craig could pull off and reminded all of us that "TIME IS SIMPLY HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE." The speech was very moving and after a few tears, we realized that the classic tuxedo t-shirt with a Sager remix is what was needed. The tuxedo t-shirt didn't look right as the standard chest print, we realized it would need to be a sublimation print to cover the entire shirt with the yellow, pink, and orange floral pattern. We were also able to add his famous quote on the back of the shirt, it was a very important addition requested from the Sager family.
Social media posts and content to help sharing online. It was crucial to offer plenty of imagery and design for fans to share to help spread the word. These “squares” were utilized on multiple websites and social media outlets to help brand awareness.
Kevin Durant during a pregame warmup added flare exposing the sleeves only.
We couldn't print the shirts in-house so we took a huge risk and ordered a large quantity hoping the NBA teams, players, and fans of Craig would support the foundation and show their love for the fighting hero.
We realized that it needed it's own labeling, stickers, bags, and anything that could help get the word out to spread the support for Craig.
