Project Details

In collaboration with Oaklins Netherlands, I designed the H2 2024 Sports M&A Newsletter—a comprehensive market update on global deal activity in the sports sector. The newsletter highlighted a 44% increase in sports-related M&A, driven by private equity momentum, fan engagement, and the rise of sports-tech.

This edition targeted investors, PE firms, and corporate strategists tracking high-value sports teams, tech platforms, and apparel brands.

Project scope included:

• Transforming rich data sets into a clean, visual format
• Visualizing Oaklins’ sports sector thought leadership
• Creating a dynamic layout for desktop, tablet, and PDF channels
• Featuring spotlight case studies like the GROFA–DARFON acquisition

Design Approach

This project required balancing editorial clarity with energetic design to reflect the fast-paced nature of the sports investment landscape.

My core design strategies:

• Dynamic Modular Layout: I structured the content around key sections—market trends, valuation, transaction breakdowns, and deal dashboards—to guide the reader through the high-density material.
• Visual Data Mapping: Created clean M&A charts (deal volumes, cross-border splits, buyer types) to visualize trends in real-time investment flows.
• Case Study Highlighting: Spotlighted the GROFA–DARFON deal in a narrative box with pull quotes and brand highlights to increase storytelling impact.
• Cross-Sector Visualization: Used iconography and color zones to distinguish between teams, tech, apparel, and services.
• Output-Ready Design: Optimized for email distribution and downloadable PDF, with high readability on screens and print alike.

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What We Learned

Designing a sector-specific investment report like this taught me:

• M&A storytelling benefits from visual rhythm—separating heavy data with human-centered spotlights like quotes and featured deals maintains attention.
• PE-focused readers expect actionable content—clean data visuals and fast access to KPIs matter more than flashy effects.
• Sports is an emotional sector—so combining energy (imagery, movement, quotes) with financial authority is key to audience trust.
• Formatting matters for performance—modular layout and responsive alignment allowed the newsletter to perform well across email, web, and downloads.