Nikola Jokić “The Joker” - Premium Sports Trading Card Concept | Fanatics / Topps Exploration
This project is a premium trading card design exploration created as part of a Fanatics / Topps–style presentation, centered around NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, known globally as “The Joker.”
The goal was to reimagine a modern sports collectible through cinematic storytelling, bold typography, and high-impact visual energy, blending contemporary trading card aesthetics with luxury packaging and retail-ready execution.
Rather than a single static card, this concept expands into a full collectible ecosystem - including physical mockups, special edition packaging, retail displays, mobile presentation, and environmental placements - demonstrating how a hero card can scale across multiple platforms and touchpoints.
Creative Direction
• Iconic athlete-first composition
• Explosive, high-contrast color palette
• Painterly texture overlays + motion-ready lighting
• Premium foil / gold accent inspiration
• Designed to feel collectible, cinematic, and display-worthy
Scope Includes
• Hero trading card artwork
• Alternate angles & presentation views
• Physical card mockups (hand-held, encased, framed)
• Limited edition packaging concepts
• Retail display & in-store visualization
• Mobile UI presentation
• Environmental billboard-style applications
Note:
This is a conceptual design exploration created for portfolio and presentation purposes only. No official affiliation with Fanatics, Topps, the NBA, or Nikola Jokić is implied.
Hero trading card artwork featuring Nikola Jokić, designed to embody the intensity, dominance, and personality behind “The Joker” nickname. Bold typography and explosive textures establish a modern, premium collectible aesthetic.
Vault gallery-style framed presentation exploring how the card artwork translates into a high-end display format, emphasizing its value as both sports memorabilia and wall-ready art.
Multi-card layout exploration illustrating potential set expansion, variant releases, and collectible series opportunities within a unified visual system.
Large-scale environmental visualization showcasing how the card artwork adapts to outdoor and promotional spaces, reinforcing its impact beyond the collectible format.
Hand-held mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Alternate hand-held angle highlighting lighting, surface texture, and compositional depth when viewed from different perspectives.
Protective case visualization inspired by graded trading cards, reinforcing rarity, collectibility, and long-term value.
Alternate hand-held angle highlighting lighting, surface texture, and compositional depth when viewed from different perspectives.
Alternate hand-held angle highlighting lighting, surface texture, and compositional depth when viewed from different perspectives.
Alternate hand-held angle highlighting lighting, surface texture, and compositional depth when viewed from different perspectives.
Mobile product preview concept showing how the “The Joker” card artwork translates into a digital collectible experience, optimized for app-based browsing, drops, and sharing.
In-app collectible presentation mockup combining the hero card with a UI layer to visualize a full digital ecosystem - selection, collection management, and pack-style discovery.
Protective case visualization inspired by graded trading cards, reinforcing rarity, collectibility, and long-term value.
Alternate hand-held angle highlighting lighting, surface texture, and compositional depth when viewed from different perspectives.
Minimal studio presentation isolating the card artwork to spotlight typography, color balance, and overall composition without environmental distraction.
Protective case visualization inspired by graded trading cards, reinforcing rarity, collectibility, and long-term value.
Detail-focused packaging angle emphasizing material quality, typography hierarchy, and branding consistency across the system.
Detail-focused packaging angle emphasizing material quality, typography hierarchy, and branding consistency across the system.
Detail-focused packaging angle emphasizing material quality, typography hierarchy, and branding consistency across the system.
Detail-focused packaging angle emphasizing material quality, typography hierarchy, and branding consistency across the system.
Detail-focused packaging angle emphasizing material quality, typography hierarchy, and branding consistency across the system.
In-store retail display concept demonstrating how the trading card series could live within a physical retail environment.
Protective case visualization inspired by graded trading cards, reinforcing rarity, collectibility, and long-term value.
In-store retail display concept demonstrating how the trading card series could live within a physical retail environment.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Final product hero view reinforcing the complete collectible vision - from artwork to packaging to retail-ready execution.
Mockup designed to convey real-world scale, tactile presence, and the physical appeal of the card as a premium collectible item.
Animated logo treatment using a clipping mask to reveal the card artwork within the JOKER typography. A motion-first exploration of how trading card designs can extend beyond print into digital storytelling.