The direction is locked. This page now shows the one card design we're building — colour-coded by group — plus the family survey that feeds it.
Locked Decisions
From Bridgett (21 Jul) and Mike (28 Jul). Mike granted full design authority on 21 Jul.
Design direction
Retro / Vintage — Clean Modern retired
Illustration style
Semi-Realistic — for all 525 player cards
Group colours
Players Navy · Coaches Red · Staff Gold — Directors & Board proposed below
Jersey number
Added — now on the card front and back
Character tenets
All eight — Mike's seven plus Respect
Consent
Required checkbox — language drafted below
Never printed
Last names · birthdates · siblings
Previous options preserved. The earlier version with both design tracks and all three illustration styles is archived at archive/forge-fest-cards-options-2026-07-21.html — nothing was thrown away if you want to revisit a choice.
Real player photos. The sample faces are the real kids Bridgett sent, so this page stays noindex and behind the admin gate until photo consent is collected.
Print-safe by design. Flat CMYK only — no foil, no metallic ink — so it prints on cardstock at The UPS Store in Geneva. Laid out at true 2.5″ × 3.5″; use your browser's Print for a proof sheet.
One Design, Five Groups
Mike asked for visible differences between players, coaches, directors, staff and board. Bridgett set the first three; the last two are my proposal — say the word and I'll swap them.
The Illustrated Redraw
Semi-Realistic, as selected. Every kid's media-night photo gets redrawn in this style — it keeps the likeness while smoothing over uneven lighting and backgrounds across 525 source photos.
The Eight Character Tenets
Mike's 28 Jul list plus Respect, restored 29 Jul at Mike's confirmation — it was dropped between brainstorms, not on purpose. Each gets its own flat icon, stamped on the back of every card.
The Survey Form
What each family fills out. Every answer has a size limit so it always fits the card — the counter turns gold as you get close and locks at the max. Type in the fields and watch the live card update. It's loaded with the longest allowed answers so you can see the worst-case fit.
Matching — for our records only
Used only to match this form to the right media-night photo file. Never appears on the card.
On the Card
First name + last initial — no full last names.
Covers Mike's "Age Group" ask without collecting a birthdate.
1–2 digits.
On the Pitch
Number of years.
Up to 24 characters.
Off the Pitch — Favorites
Up to 24 characters.
Up to 20 characters.
Any sport. Up to 20 characters.
Up to 18 characters.
Up to 24 characters.
Parent / Guardian Permission
Draft language, Bridgett — replace or amend as you see fit. The form cannot be submitted unless this is checked.
Live Card Preview
Updates as you type
Front
Back
What each card back captures
Players — Position, Years Playing, Previous Club, Favorites (Movie · Athlete · Team · Food · Song) and a Character Tenet stamp.
Coaches · Directors · Staff — Role details (Coaching Since, License, Background) replace the youth stats; Favorites + Tenet stay, so every card reads as one set.
Board — Role, Years With Club and a "Why Forge" line, plus Favorites + Tenet.
The director cards double as social announcement graphics — the front alone crops cleanly to a square or 4:5 post.
Open — needs a decision from Mike or Bridgett
Director & Board colours. Bridgett assigned three; Mike wants five distinguishable. I've proposed Bronze for Directors and Graphite for Board — both hold up in flat CMYK next to the other three. Swap on request.
Coach & director photos — note these are NOT illustrated. Players get the semi-realistic redraw; adult cards stay photographic (see Chad Ransom's sample above — a real headshot worked up into a sideline action shot). Because there's no redraw to forgive a weak source, the photo matters more here than it does for the kids. Best case is a genuine touchline action shot. Failing that, a shoulders-up phone photo works: good even light on the face (outdoors in shade is ideal), plain-ish background, eyes to camera, no hat or sunglasses, held at eye level rather than below, and sent at full resolution (AirDrop or "Actual Size" in email — not pasted into a document). A posed selfie at arm's length is fine. Every adult sees their own card before it prints.
Still needed: photos for Jeff Muhr, Greg Muhr, Angel and Taylor. Karim and Colleen are in hand. Greg, Angel and Taylor have never actually been asked — the 28 Jul request only went to Jeff and Colleen.
⚠️ No staff list exists. The roster export is players only, so the number of adult cards is unknown. Working assumption is ~30 coaches/directors/board, which is what the printer quoted against; 49 teams with assistants could make it 80–100. A player with no submission still gets a card; an adult who isn't on a list gets nothing.
