I talked earlier this week about my card design DONTs, but I also have an extensive list of stuff I really like as well. I think a lot of companies should start to solicit feedback from collectors, especially before putting out popular products that people wait all year for. I have had the opportunity to put in my two sense on a few designs before finalization, but it has never been something that I felt was productive. If you think that I am opinionated, I can guarantee you that there are many more collectors out there that feel that much more strongly, and I think that by utilizing the resources that are at the disposal of the manufacturers, the final products would take out a lot of the terrible things that I mentioned before. Im not saying I need to be the one who gives said feedback, but I do think that more and more people are starting to feel the way I feel from the way many collectors have started to post on message boards and in other mediums. The reality of the situation is that companies like Panini,who think that they can churn out crap like a constipated elephant, will not be able to continue to operate the way they do if they expect people to continue buying. That being said, here is a list of what I would like to see more of.

Full Game Shots

The player pasted on a photoshop created background has played itself out to a point of nausea these days, and when you have products that feature game shots instead, it looks that much better. Game shots on base cards are usually the norm, but I want to see it extended to further parts of the set, including hard signed versions of the cards. With the majority of collectors coming to the hobby as a result of a love of the game, why not capitalize on the main reasons we collect. Back in 2009, Philadelphia offered a hard signed subset of game shot cards, and even though the value was minimal, the cards really looked amazing. I went out of my way to buy the Vikings from the set just to get more signed game shot cards, and I think that these types of cards should be used more often. This reason stems from the fact that beautiful photography always trumps splatter paint and urbanized graphics, and yet, no company ever seems to get that.

Autographed Base Cards (stickers OR hard signed)

In most cases, I like the way the base cards look, mostly because they never have lame ass names or gimmicks behind them. Instead of being some retarded thing like “Freshmen Orientation,” its just straight picture and signature. Its rare that hard signed versions of base cards ever exist, but if Topps flagship ever offered them, I would go nuts. Its pretty obvious that manufacturers need to lay off the horribly conceived jokes they think are clever in their sets, and I think that my desire for more readily available signed base cards is a direct connection to this fact. Actually, Topps is actually very good at utilizing non-lame names, and I like that they have opted for simplicity both in design and name for most of the Five Star cards I have seen. As a result, this is something that makes me even that much more excited.

Great Uses of White and White Spaces

Lets face it, white is classy, and so is black. Because black doesnt lend itself well to card elements, White is the classiest option for any product. Dont agree? Look at the past incarnations of SP Authentic and how tremendous the cards always look. Its due as much to the card’s composition as it is to the wonderful uses of white space on many of their main hits. Not only will the white make the signatures and photos literally jump off the card, but they look more valuable across the board. Panini moved away from white cards in 2009 National Treasures after using them exclusively for 2007 and 2008, which led to a set that looked more like a second version of Donruss Threads than the next version of National Treasures. In 2010, they are going back to the white, and again the cards look great for the most part. It all has to do with the proportion of white space.

Word Logos

A number of times I have said that in the NFL, the team word logos are some of the best designed logos in all of sports. Its rare that a team’s word logo is crap, and yet, many companies still rely on the primary logos for all branding. This year, for the base Topps set and Chrome, we had the word logos as a main element of the design, and I absolutely loved it. Even in 2009 limited, Panini won me over on their Rookie Patch Autos with word logo diecuts, despite the use of the terrible foil they are famous for. I want to see more uses of these in cards, especially when you consider that many of them would fit nicely into any design.

Dynamic Action Photography

In any card, a photo can make or break a card. I mentioned above that I love seeing full game shots, but those shots dont matter if it doesnt trigger that “wow” response when you see the picture on the front. I love those cards that feature Peterson in those hard charges turning the corner, but its almost like the companies dont always consider how bad some other styles shots look on a card. I dont want a card of the guy just standing there, and I definitely hate posed photos of the player on or off the field. If its not them mid-play, I dont like it.

“Painted” Cards

I know that unlike Masterpieces, many of the “painted” style cards are just done with an effect on a photo editing program. That doesnt mean I love it any less. I think these cards can look utterly amazing, especially because it add a level of art to many cards that dont showcase any artistic elements. Back in 2009 Masterpieces, Upper Deck actually commissioned paintings of the year’s football moments, and it may have been one of the best looking base sets ever created. More companies need to go this direction, similar to what Topps did with 2010 Magic, if not only because many people like me love the way the effect looks.

One Pack Products

For me personally, I rarely collect any base cards. I never was a person who liked that element of collecting, unless they were autographed. That being said, Football cards have moved to a hit centric hobby anyways, so that means that more one pack products should be done to avoid the majority of the collecting base from having to pay extra for cards they dont collect. I think to have eliminated the 24 pack format from SP Authentic would have made me that much more happy with the content, and may have solved a lot of the collation issues that plagued the product year after year. In addition, one pack products are usually considered to deliver more valuable cards because of the format, and though it may not be financially viable for the manufacturers to use every product in that format, it would definitely entice me into buying more.

Multi-Star Autographs

I have said a number of times that multi signed cards should only be used when you have players who dont diminish each other’s value. Many times, when a valuable player is on a multi signed card, the overall draw of the card is damaged because not everyone lives up to that standard. Yet, when you have two or more players that are equally valuable, its tough to beat a card like that. For a long time, I searched for an Emmitt Smith autograph to add to my collection of great runningbacks. When I saw a card with his AND Adrian Peterson’s signature, I almost pooped myself with excitement. Its as if you got both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on the same card, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, maybe even Brett Favre and Dan Marino. Those types of combinations make me think that someone really understood how to create a great multisigned card, rather than just tossing two players together because they play on the same team or went to the same school.

Retro Autographed Iconic Sets

Back in 2008, Upper Deck launched SP Authentic with a bunch of elements that had never been done in any SPA set before it. One of them was the retro rookie auto jersey cards, modeled after the awesome patch auto cards from the iconic 2001 set. It gave people like Peyton Manning, Gayle Sayers and Brett Favre a piece of an iconic set, something I liked very much. This year, we are getting something in a similar fashion, but because it is not a redone iconic set, it doesnt have the same type of pull with me. I am also a huge fan of the signed versions of the iconic autographed rookies from 2001 Topps Archive, mainly because of how it plays off of cards that are infamous for their status. When you have the rights to reproduce any set from your history, why not use it to your advantage right? How awesome would it be to have a 2006 Exquisite Adrian Peterson Autograph Patch? Those 09-10 Exquisite retro rookie patches were awesome enough because of how famous the LeBron was from that set, and I think stuff like that should be used more often. Iconic sets become Iconic because of the design and look being legendary, I would much rather see something like that over another crap auto jersey from Panini.

Hard Signed Retro Themed Cards

I very much like autographs sets like ones in 2009 Philadelphia and Ginter, but only as long as the cards are hard signed. One of my favorite Adrian Peterson cards is my 2009 Philadelphia National Chicle Mini Auto, mainly because the retro card looks awesome with a hard signed signature. Stickered retro sets look like cop outs in many cases, and I think that one of the main reasons why Ginter is so successful is because the hard signed retro cards always look amazing. Retro sets have become a major part of the hobby calendar over the last few years, but sets like 2009 Topps Mayo and 2009 Topps Magic should never have even come close to production.

Championship Centric Cards

I really didnt know how to explain this, so Ill just try my best. I cant think of a better set than autographed cards featuring super bowl or championship winners. I have no idea why Ring of Honor out of Topps are the only cards that focus on the super bowl’s MVP, especially when you actually consider how prestigious of a club it is. Super Bowl teams are celebrated all over the world, and I dont think enough cards capitalize on that. I would love to see more super bowl champion cards that are done like the Drew Brees out of 2010 Five Star. I also think HOF themed cards are great, as evidenced by what we have seen from Panini this year.

Hard Signed Cards In General

I saved this one for last because of how much more I will care for a card that is actually signed by the player. Hard signed signatures can improve a poorly designed card in many cases, and can make a great looking card look amazing. I know that the manufacturers have every resource available to get each card signed by the player because of what Upper Deck did across the 2008 and 2009 calendar, so it scream laziness when I see that no one understands how important on card autos are. One of the main reasons that I think Panini’s cards are mostly disappointing is because they rehash the design, they poorly construct the card’s look, AND they always use a stickers, which just show me that they dont care. AT ALL. Im actually kind of shocked how much I will buy into a hard signed product over a sticker product, especially in that it takes a GREAT design for me to buy a sticker, but it only takes an okay design for me to buy one signed on card. Oddly enough, hard signed cards lend themselves more to better designs, probably because you never have to account for the sticker in the first place. You want brand loyalty like Upper Deck had, get your cards hard signed like they did with NINE products last year. I know its possible because they did it, so dont give me stupid fucking excuses.