Designing graphics for mobile devices may seem like a breeze - after all, a 4-in. cellphone screen is significantly less real estate than a 70-in. television - but, in reality, it presents a host of new challenges for designers used to a larger canvas. At SVG's Sports Graphics Forum, held last week in New York City, digital-sports leaders from the client and vendor sides convened to discuss the brave new world of mobile graphics.
NBC Sports and Olympics' Karen Nicol (left) and Undefined Creative's Maria Rapetskaya
There's an aesthetic in broadcast that's very refined and beautiful, with a lot of really fine details, observed Maria Rapetskaya, founder/creative director, Undefined Creative. A lot of designers tend to go small and pretty on the logos and the type, and, when those boards come back to me for mobile, I say bigger. And then I send it back one more time and say, No, I said bigger.
The issue, she explained, is that broadcast-graphics designers are accustomed to working within constraints, such as title safety, that do not exist on mobile devices, and they try to include a level of fine detail that does not work on a smaller screen. But, she continued, designers need to find a way to translate the aesthetic from the big screen to the smaller in order to retain the brand.
That's kind of a big deal for designers who are used to working in broadcast only, said Rapetskaya. The problem that creates is, if you're designing for both platforms and you need to adhere to a certain style guide, you need to be able to adapt the two so that enough of a look is translated into things that are going to be on mobile, things that are going to be compressed but still retain the aesthetic of your broadcast product.
For Karen Nicol, creative director, digital products, NBC Sports and Olympics, the key is to keep in mind the specific platform for which you are designing. She shared her experiences of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, for which she packaged an onslaught of OBS-produced feeds with the NBC Sports brand and delivered that mobile experience to millions of fans on a wide variety of devices.
The biggest thing that we always try to never forget is that it's always about the video. So we never lay anything over it, she said. We always try to figure out, number one, what's our audience really looking for? Are they looking there to just view video, are they looking there to get more in-depth stats, do they want to have more of a second-screen experience?
Nicol showed off her team's unique approach to mobile devices, tablets, and desktops and how platforms with larger real estate lend themselves more to additional information, statistics and schedules, and enhanced interactivity.
We try to build for the goal of the product, she added. The design never gets out of hand - it's never about the design; the design is always there to enhance the product and the product goal - and then we always try to make sure that whatever we design can scale.
Avid's Bill Reinhart (left) and Vizrt's Tom Shelburne
In order to design graphics with a specific goal, scope, and scale in mind, clients rely on vendors like Vizrt and Avid to create tools that address the challenges of each individual mobile platform and enable graphics creation across those platforms.
From the vendor side, we put the tools in the hands of our great customers, [and the software] gives them the flexibility that they need, said Tom Shelburne, director, operations, Northern Region, Vizrt. We, of course, like to provide best practices and guidelines, but, for the most part, they take it and elevate it to a whole other level that we didn't really anticipate. We're somewhat surprised when we see the great things that come out of it.
Bill Reinhart, territory accounts manager, Avid concurred: When you listen to the amount of work that they put into it, it's really incumbent on the manufacturers to create the design tools that will reproduce that content the way it was originally intended. You can visualize things on any size monitor that you want, but you really need to have the tools that will allow that content to be accurately reproduced on the device that it is going to show up on.
Mobile engagement is an ever evolving and fast-moving process, he continued. It's up to the manufacturers to stay connected with the designers and understand what their challenges are so that we can deliver the tools that they need.
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
Designing graphics for mobile devices may seem like a breeze - after all, a 4-in. cellphone screen is significantly less real estate than a 70-in. television - but, in reality, it presents a host of new challenges for designers used to a larger canvas. At SVG's Sports Graphics Forum, held last week in New York City, digital-sports leaders from the client and vendor sides convened to discuss the brave new world of mobile graphics.
