An artist expands his collaborations to bring projects to life

Challenge: How to tell the story behind the art

Brian Madden has always been a creator, and his work often involves communicating with others. From his start in industrial design to his current work as a fine artist and commercial designer, Madden discusses his vision with many stakeholders in a number of ways, including social media and his newsletter.

He typically shares dozens of large files at various stages of the artistic process, from initial sketches to digital renderings to photos and video that captures particular methods and techniques. “I’ve used Dropbox for years to store images and video to document my work,” Madden says. “I use folders as a way to give content creation partners and video editors and videographers very clear buckets of videos, photos, and other content to grab from, and create their edits.”

To celebrate the marble and gold leaf trophy and custom packaging he created for the EA Madden NFL 23: 99 Club Awards, for example, the artist (no relation to Coach John Madden) worked with a photographer, and the pair used Dropbox as their cutting room. “I was pushing the envelope on these awards experiences for NFL players, celebrating them and honoring the game through creativity,” Madden says.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) took note of his work, later asking Madden to design 31 trophies for their Players’ All-Pro Awards. It was an opportunity to create something from the ground up, and Brian knew that he wanted to incorporate video, as he had many times in the past. This time, however, he needed an easier way to manage the process, and a better, faster way to collaborate and provide feedback about the footage.

Solution: A more streamlined process for a new project

In the past, Madden used Google Drive or WeTransfer to move files, but these tools were limited for editing purposes. “For years, Dropbox has felt like the better option to share visuals, because it’s easy to scale and it’s well-suited to creatives making adjustments versus just sharing files,” he says.

For the NFLPA Players’ All-Pro Awards, Madden introduced a new tool into his Dropbox workflow: Replay. Madden knew he wanted to work with a videographer to create a behind-the-scenes view of the project, from ideation to the players unboxing their awards. The videographer pulled source material from the project’s Dropbox folders, then presented the video’s latest version in Replay for Madden’s review.

Replay simplified the feedback loop, since Madden could go through the details of audio, visuals and transitions, and provide timestamped comments and annotations in the video player. It was easier and clearer than his old method, which involved typing notes in a separate Google Doc. “When you’re trying to market something, time is of the essence,” Madden says. “The time saved is the most important part of Replay. The ability to go through second by second and provide clear, specific feedback is clutch.”

Results: Increased visibility leads to more opportunities

Though the video was Madden’s initiative, the NFLPA loved and wanted to share it. Telling the story behind the awards, and why Madden’s design resonates with players, became an unexpected tool for the NFLPA to celebrate player stories and connect with fans on a deeper level. 

“Clients don’t always have visibility into the work that brings these projects to life,” Madden says. By sharing images and video through Dropbox, he gives clients a glimpse of his process, setting expectations for the work and helping him market himself as an artist.

Madden has learned over his career that each project leads to the next, sometimes in surprising ways. “You don’t know what you’ll get out of each project, but I can look back on my career and see, every step of the way, Dropbox is involved with sharing the stories around my work,” he says.

“Design and art are about communication,” he concludes. “Dropbox is a great tool because it simplifies the process of communicating your files, your ideas, and your story to other people.” By easing that process, Replay allows artists and designers to focus on their next great work.