To bring back the Axolotl or not? That is the beginning question. Simon fell in love with the Proton Tesla early on as he was configuring his disc golf bag. We aimed this year to target that specific disc and play off of Simon’s recollection of his spirit animal, the hummingbird.

Thumbnail Stage:
I am not an ornithologist so the thumbnail stage was interesting. We knew it would be a Proton/ translucent type of plastic. I approached it no differently than any other project. I wanted to keep the stamp open amid relatively simple. Simon was drawn to a few of the completed thumbnails. There was an idea back and forth about possibly going future/cyber genetic-type of construction.

Rough Stage:
We typically consulted with Simon regarding the thumbnails, but this occasion brought a unique twist. Recently celebrating the birth of his second child, Simon provided feedback as time allowed. Our mutual connection for concept #3 featuring an elegant bird was clear. Although I enhanced the design, I was dissatisfied with the hummingbird resting on a branch. My revision introduced an upward-soaring cyberbird within a digital environment. Contemplating between a cyborg or organic appearance, I produced variations of each. James Christie of MVP’s Media Team pointed out that my initial design incorrectly portrayed how hummingbird wings fold. This critique prompted me to correct the error before presenting the updated concept to Simon.

Final Delivery:
After refining the background and balancing out a few layers, I added an inner blue ring to equalize where the hummingbird's body was resting in the stamp. I delivered 6-8 potential foil configurations and we decided together to offer 2 different foil sets for variety. We ultimately decided both would use silver holo on the background to keep it a set with shades of blue and red for the other. I'm proud of how this design came together, allowing the characteristics of the plastic to shine through while forming a solid statement about Simon Lizotte. The design feels powerful and graceful, giving the viewer a sense of speed and control, which reflects Simon’s disc golf game. I hope you enjoyed this insight into the development of Simon’s 2024 MVP Team Series disc, the Proton Tesla Hummingbird.