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Mike Abate Designs
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BLEACHER REPORT

I was tasked with designing a series of infographics that communicate key insights about Bleacher Report’s content consumers. Each audience segment represents a distinct persona, and the goal was to make these groups instantly recognizable at a glance.

The challenge was to strike a balance between clarity and simplicity—avoiding overly specific physical traits while incorporating just enough visual cues to clearly differentiate each consumer type. The result is a cohesive system of characters that quickly conveys audience insights in an engaging and accessible way.

JBL AUDIO

JBL Audio was looking for a bold new way to promote their product to professional athletes, and I executed this by means of a custom seeding kits and seeding cards. 

The seeding kits were distributed to every team in the NBA—reaching players, coaches, and staff—as well as other high-profile athletes. Designed as more than just product shipments, these kits were intended to spark organic promotion, encouraging recipients to share the experience and showcase JBL products across their personal platforms.

Building on JBL’s pride in its iconic “horn,” the 70th anniversary initiative aimed to elevate the seeding experience beyond previous iterations. Pushing the concept further, I reimagined the horn form as a sculptural display stand for a custom pair of platinum JBL Everest Elite 300. This one-of-a-kind piece functioned as both packaging and product display—transforming the kit into a lasting, visually striking object that extended beyond its initial unboxing moment.

With a focus on luxury and premium feel, we crafted a presentation box to house an exclusive black and gold edition of the JBL Everest Elite 300, developed specifically for this kit. The experience was completed with JBL earbuds and a refined, personalized seeding card—offering an acknowledgment of an exceptional season and elevating the unboxing into a moment of recognition and prestige.

I also designed a range of seeding cards sent alongside JBL products to athletes and high-profile personalities across the NBA, WNBA, and beyond. Each card was thoughtfully tailored—some taking a sport-specific approach, others drawing on music and product cues—to create a more personal and contextually relevant brand touchpoint.

JBL then teamed up with the video game, NBA2k18, to bring the player the ability to choose, purchase and wear a variety of custom headphones in the game. The collection included a variety of designs spanning bold colorways to patterned executions inspired by themes ranging from foods, textures and patterns.

WAYBACK BURGERS

Wayback Burgers had an established presence in the fast-casual space, but its advertising lacked the same level of impact. The objective was to elevate the brand through stronger food promotions—both in-store and across external channels—while increasing brand awareness, building partnerships, and expanding its social media presence.

I developed a range of design assets to support this effort, creating visuals that reflect the brand’s nostalgic take on classic American comfort food while maintaining a fresh, contemporary feel. Drawing from vintage Americana, I incorporated bold typography, classic color palettes, and playful graphic elements to evoke a sense of familiarity and comfort—refined to feel modern and adaptable across multiple touchpoints.

This approach came to life through an expanded system of print and digital signage, promoting campaigns, menu items, merchandise, and the brand as a whole. The result is a cohesive and elevated visual identity that strengthens Wayback Burgers’ presence, bridging past and present to create a more engaging and memorable customer experience.

Can we go eat now? All this talk about burgers is making me hungry.

STARRY SQUEEZE

CHALLENGE:

PepsiCo was introducing Starry, a refreshing new lemon-lime soft drink to food service accounts. Since Starry was so recent it had zero awareness with our Gen-Z target. We had to educate restaurant-goers about Starry’s vibrant flavor profile and put it on the map.

INSIGHT:

Gen Z is a generation that has inherited a world on fire. They deal with many daily stresses and look for brands to help them blow off steam. A favorite escape? Gaming. In fact, 95% of Gen Z are gamers. So, what if we could showcase Starry’s refreshing flavor by gamifying it?

IDEA:

Introducing Starry Squeeze. Game On. Inspired by Candy Crush, a favorite with Gen-Z, we dropped Starry Squeeze. Bursting with juicy lemons, limes and sparkling ice cubes, it brightened their day and showcased the drink that “hits different.” Just scan the POS and guests could play for awesome Starry prizes like coolers and bomber jackets. They could also instantly share their score on social to invite friends to play,

THE TASTE OF YOUR TEXAS

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially state pride. Our job was to wrangle up sales for Pepsi at restaurants by creating an authentic connection with Lone Star locals.

Introducing The Taste of Your Texas, Cups For Y’all by Pepsi.
To capture the passion of Texans, we created a line of collectible city-themed glasses that only a true Texan could appreciate, featuring 4 major Texas cities: Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. Glasses covered in city icons like the Pegasus of Dallas, or the road runners of San Antonio, our Cups For Y’all program was filled to the brim with local pride. We made it super-simple for our valued customers to grab one. All they had to do was order a Pepsi and scan the POS and they could have their favorite city-glass sent to their homes. The program was a massive success, and had consumers trying to collect them all!

SONO 1420

Sono 1420 is a craft distillery based in South Norwalk, Connecticut, known for carving out a distinctive niche in the spirits market. Their signature Bourbon (BRBN) and Rye are uniquely distilled using hemp seeds, setting them apart through both process and flavor profile.

The name “Sono 1420” draws inspiration from the 14th and 20th Amendments, referencing the historical arc of Prohibition and its repeal. This concept extends into the brand’s visual identity, where thoughtful details reinforce the story with, the hemp-based rope tied around each bottle and subtle design cues that nod to the “420” connection. Together, these elements create a cohesive brand that blends heritage, craft, and modern cultural references.

VOLKSWAGEN

I have been fortunate enough to work on fun brands such as Volkswagen which has allowed me to have the creative freedom while designing for many different events, campaigns and activations.

Volkswagen was teaming up with Santa and his team of elves at the mall around the holidays. I was tasked to create a look that follows the Volkswagen brand look, while marrying that with a new holiday look. I created the the signage, vehicle window stickers, elevator and table decals and promotional items that were handed out on site.

As the summer wound down and the leaves started to fall, Volkswagen had their SUVW Family Tailgate event for which I created the logo, look, on-site and off-site signage, digital advertising and email blasts.

Other pieces of creative that I have done for Volkswagen include direct mailers, magazine advertisements, dealer posters and collateral.

MOUNT SOUTHINGTON

Lead Art Director and was in charge of all creative needs for Mount Southington Ski Area. Creative includes on-site and off-site posters, tri-fold brochures, trail map, magazine advertisements, web sliders, web pages and more. Also brought their new Mountain Room, wedding venue to light.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | GOLDFISH SPORTSKID OF THE YEAR

Sports Illustrated came to us seeking branding and creative for the Sports Illustrated | Goldfish Sportskid of the Year activation held at the Barclays Center, New York. We created event signage such as a welcome sign, die-cut standing signage, floor targets, snack bar with table decals, table cloth, cups and jar decals.

CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Designed all print and digital event collateral for the final LPGA tour event, the CME Group Tour Championship, held in Naples, Florida. Here are just some of the pieces that were created for the event.

MISCELLANEOUS

Some projects and jobs that I have created that didn’t get a true “home” on my website.

LOGOS

Here are some logo designs that I have created for a variety of clients.

BLEACHER REPORT

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JBL AUDIO

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WAYBACK BURGERS

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STARRY SQUEEZE

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THE TASTE OF YOUR TEXAS

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SONO 1420

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VOLKSWAGEN

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MOUNT SOUTHINGTON

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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | GOLDFISH SPORTSKID OF THE YEAR

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CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

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MISCELLANEOUS

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LOGOS

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© 2026 MIKE ABATE DESIGNS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.