Celebrating the grind, grit and greatness of Detroit — Draft style

With the draft arriving in April, we hit the ground running in early January to ensure the paper would be produced and printed in time. While managing multiple stakeholders, coordinating a printer, facing a tight timeframe and a last minute change in page size (after layouts were complete), we aimed high and scored big with a one-of-a-kind newspaper people loved reading and would be willing to save and collect as a cherished sports memento.

From content development to concept design, we have been a conduit for storytelling for over 20 years by connecting readers to engaging ideas through thoughtful design. We were up to the task and started our brainstorming content list with some solid ideas right out of the gate: Detroit-centric foods, phrases and phenomenons such as the wacky Michigan Left, selfie spots, the history of the Detroit Lions, stats on Michigan-born football greats, itineraries and local trivia to name a few.

Not only was the editorial content rich with stats, facts and some amazing Detroit and Michigan-based draftees, we blitzed the pages with custom drawn illustrations of some of our favorites things like coney dogs and iconic Detroit landmarks. We created various itineraries based on different vibes: The Bro-skis, the Bucket Listers, the OG Falcon Brigade, to round out the publication’s usefulness as a guide for what to see and do while in town.

When it came to selecting paper and ink color, we wanted the piece to feel like a newspaper, but with a hometown twist. We love our home team and decided that the Lions’ Honolulu Blue had to the carry the color theme throughout. With the page size, paper and color, we can easily say we scored some extra points from visitors and locals alike.

The picks are in — the city of Detroit and the 700,000+ fans (cough, cough, record numbers) loved it.