The Pan American Sports Newsletter
Designing a monthly digital newsletter that felt as dynamic and inspiring as the Pan American Games themselves.
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Challenge
Panam Sports needed to improve the visual appeal and readability of its digital newsletters in order to increase open rates and engagement. The existing designs felt static and lacked visual energy, making them easy for subscribers to overlook. At the same time, the newsletters needed to work within Mailchimp’s platform standards while remaining flexible enough to promote new events, adapt to Olympic and Pan American event cycles, and support marketing campaigns tied to future competitions, streaming platforms, and social media channels.
Solution
I redesigned the newsletters with a mobile-first approach, prioritizing legible typography, clear information hierarchy, and visual breathing room to improve readability on smaller screens. Each layout was built around strong visual storytelling, guiding readers through the content as an editorial sports experience rather than a static email. I introduced a flexible layout system that could evolve over time, allowing new content categories to be added while remaining compliant with Panam Sports and IOC brand guidelines. The newsletters served both as an information channel for sports media and as a marketing tool for upcoming events, integrating clear calls to action, buttons, and links using UI and UX best practices. With creative freedom from leadership, I gradually elevated the visual language by featuring striking athlete and event photography in the header each month. These visuals celebrated the achievements of the athletes of the Americas while creating a strong emotional hook that encouraged readers to engage with the content.
Email campaign performance exceeded industry benchmarks, with open rates and click-through rates consistently above average, driven by engaging, visually compelling newsletter design.
Panam Sports is the governing body for sport in the Americas, overseeing the Pan American Games and supporting National Olympic Committees, athletes, and stakeholders across the region.
Over several years, I provided visual direction for the organization’s monthly newsletters, working closely with the marketing and communications teams. They shared raw content, performance data, editorial priorities, and photography options, while I translated those inputs into cohesive visual narratives. Using editorial guidelines, coordinated sketching, and carefully composed headers, I designed welcoming entry points that communicated the importance of each issue at a glance.
The result was a newsletter system that balanced editorial credibility, marketing flexibility, and visual storytelling, strengthening Panam Sports’ digital communication with its global audience.
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See Also
