The Frederick Keys Refresh Their Season Playbill Design
Learn how we partnered with Generation Media and the Frederick Keys to refresh their season Playbill design — producing 3–4 editions per season across two consecutive years, alongside print ads and the iconic bobblehead box.
The Challenge
Each season, the Frederick Keys produce a series of Playbills that are printed and distributed to fans at their games. The Keys needed a refreshed Playbill design that felt current and polished — one that could be produced efficiently across multiple editions per season without losing consistency or quality.
Working in partnership with Generation Media, The Spark Co. was brought in to redesign the Playbill template and produce all editions across two full seasons.
The Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photo Shop
Print Vendor: Graphcom
The Process
We began by refreshing the Playbill template in Adobe InDesign — developing a flexible, professional layout that could accommodate ads, editorial content, and seasonal updates across multiple editions without requiring a full redesign each time.
The template was built to be efficient: once the master layout was established, each new edition could be produced by placing ads and content into the structure — keeping production timelines tight and quality consistent across the season.
For each edition we handled ad placement, content layout, and image editing before delivering print-ready files to Graphcom for production. We also designed the print ad that ran within the Playbill and the bobblehead box — a fan favorite collectible piece that required its own packaging design treatment.
The Results
We delivered print-ready files for every Playbill edition on schedule across two full consecutive seasons — giving the Frederick Keys a consistently polished game day publication and a smooth, reliable production process.
Refreshed Playbill template built for efficient multi-edition seasonal production
3–4 editions designed and produced per season across 2 seasons
Ad placement and editorial content layout for each edition
Print ad design for placement within the Playbill
Bobblehead box packaging design
Print-ready file delivery to Graphcom on schedule, every edition
