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Sometimes, inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. For Topps senior designer Phil Imbriano, that moment struck during his daily subway commute. While riding to work, his attention was drawn to a red-and-silver badge in the corner of the train car. The sleek lines and curves caught his eye, prompting him to snap a quick photo. By the time he arrived at the office, he was already sketching out ideas, refining them later on his computer.
Months later, after going through four competitive design rounds at Topps, Imbriano’s concept was chosen as the official base design for the 2025 baseball card series, with Series 1 hitting shelves today.
“I’m always observing the world around me,” Imbriano said in a recent interview. “I take photos of anything that stands out—whether it’s a building, a sign, or some interesting architecture. You never know when something will spark an idea.”
The final design features two bold lines sweeping up the left side and across the top of the card, reminiscent of Topps’ 1982 set. But this time, the lines are customized to match each team’s colors.
That retro feel, however, wasn’t intentional. Imbriano originally drew inspiration from the wood-paneled aesthetics of the 1962 and 1987 sets. “The ’82 look wasn’t where I started,” he admitted. “But as the design evolved, it naturally took on that resemblance. I think it works well—it blends a vintage touch with a modern update.”
The internal design competition was fierce, with Imbriano’s concept outshining 20 other entries over the course of a few months. Interestingly, some elements from past non-winning designs occasionally make their way into future sets. That’s the case this year, with a small graphic of a baseball field in the lower right corner indicating the player’s position.
From that initial subway sighting to the final product, Imbriano estimates he created nearly ten different variations before settling on the winning design.
“There’s so much that goes into crafting the final look,” he said. “Most people probably don’t think about that when they’re holding a card in their hand.”
Once the digital designs are finalized, Topps prints physical prototypes to evaluate how they look and feel. Senior vice president of product Clay Luraschi emphasized the importance of this process.
“When we narrow it down to the final five designs, we actually print them out and simulate the pack-opening experience,” Luraschi explained. “It’s a long process, and there are always great designs in the mix. Choosing the final one is one of the most hotly debated topics in the office all year.”
He chuckled before adding, “Everyone on the team understands how significant this is. This is the 74th edition of Topps baseball cards. From the early days when [founder] Sy Berger designed them at his kitchen table to how we do it now, we all take that history seriously. It’s a big moment for us—but also a lot of fun.”
For collectors, the base design is only the beginning. Series 1 also includes several popular subsets, such as:
Returning favorites include Signature Tunes, which pairs players with the artists behind their walk-up songs, and First Pitch, featuring celebrities who threw out ceremonial first pitches last season.
Dodgers fans will especially enjoy the base-card variations capturing their signature celebratory moves, including the “Freddie Dance”—Freddie Freeman’s now-iconic hands-over-head, hula-like hip shake.
This year’s 35th-anniversary tribute pays homage to the eye-catching 1990 set. But at the heart of it all is Imbriano’s bold, striking base design.
“I come from a background in key art and poster design,” he said. “So when I create cards, I think of them as miniature posters in their own right.”
And those mini posters contribute to a lasting legacy.
“I think Phil’s design is fantastic,” Luraschi said. “In fifty years, collectors should be able to look at a card and instantly recognize the year it came from. This design nails that idea.”
