Designs Across the Lines

Back in the mid 1990's, many of the card companies would use the same basic design formats for their main sets of the major sports.  This was, of course, back when several companies were producing cards for each of the four major sports.  (The "good times").

For example, in 1995, Topps did this:

   

 

Baseball, Football, and Basketball were all the white frame, gold foil script names and smaller all-caps positions and team names highlighted by team color jagged stripes across the bottom and up one side.  I thought it clever to use Deion for both sports he played, especially since the colors match.

Fleer Ultra did all four sports....

   

And so did Upper Deck.  Their design in a bit minimalist in that it's really only the name arc'ed across a full bleed picture.

Now, I'm more of the opinion that original designs for the four sports are better than the same one.  Usually because there are design elements specifice to the particular sport.  Gloves and bats in baseball, gridiron lines and helmets in football, etc.  But these designs don't use any of that and therefore can support all four sports well.

So can any modern designs carry over into other sports?  in a (more) perfect card world, any of the present companies could produce cards for other sports besides those that they have exclusive contracts for.  What would their products look like?

Let's get out the old Paint Shop program and find out, shall we?

2017 Topps (P)unt football:

2015 GQ football:

 

2014 A&G Hockey:

More to come...?