Today, is a big day. Not because of any set release, but because we are going to see what both Topps Baseball and Topps Football are going to look like for 2012. Because Topps wisely expands brand recognition between both of the top two sports they produce, whichever design is used for the flagship set, will be used in both Baseball and Football for each of the chromes and expansions as well.
I saw the design at first, and was surprised with the direction they went, but it has definitely grown on me since my first glance. I originally had a very “WTF” reaction when I saw that the bottom left corner has all the focus for the card, but eventually gathered that the color scheme will most likely feature team colors, and the team logos do look very well placed. As I have said before, I am a HUGE fan of full game shots on cards, and I think that this design will give maximum space in both sports to get those looking nice.
Bottom line is that collectors buy flagship Topps more than any other product. Its one of the only sets that perennially brings in ample parts of both the hit focused segments of the hobby and the set collectors, as it usually features a great content structure that makes everyone happy. Most importantly, the design NEVER disappoints, and I don’t think it has this year either. It fits the standards of what a base Topps card needs to look like, and I think we can be rest assured that the set will be a fun one as usual.
Not only that, but there will be ample room for auto variations on these cards for all the football sets, and it should even lend itself well to the rookie premiere autos once they are done next april.
Do I like this design as much as I like 2010’s design? No. But I do think it is another good link in the long chain of Topps cards that goes back almost 60 years.
Seems like Topps really has big plans for photography in 2012. With a design like that, the photographers will really be under the gun to produce clear, imaginative shots. Some of the blurred images that were in 2010 Topps baseball would look awful with this much space devoted to the photo. Interesting.
Another strong base design from Topps. Would have preferred a full-bleed shot to the edges, faded to white toward the bottom but this is a close second…
Panini is already failing at 2012 football with the release of this image and the remainder of their 2011 shit hasn’t even hit yet!
The Brewers logo and Braun’s name looking like they are sitting on a silver serving plate
Considering the hot mess that 2011 Gridiron Gear looks like, 2012 Topps will continue to crush Panini.
Decent enough design, but when will Topps realize that use of silver foil for the lettering adds nothing to the card and drives people like me who have less than stellar eyesight crazy.
Do the lettering in plain old white and the design would look just as good and be much easier to read.