In the relentless hustle and bustle of New York City, where even the subway rumbles to the beat of its own bustling soundtrack, creativity simply has no curfew. For Topps senior designer Phil Imbriano, a simple subway ride home became the canvas for inspiration, adding a new chapter in the ongoing saga of baseball card designs. Imbriano, an artist with an eagle eye for the aesthetic in the quotidian, found his muse in the striking lines of a red-and-silver badge quaintly positioned in the corner of his subway car. Much like a modern-day Midas, his artistic touch transformed this mundane subway detail into a golden design that would be revered by baseball card aficionados in the 2025 Topps Series 1 set, which hits the shelves today.
“I love drawing inspiration from everyday things,” mused Imbriano, as his mind not uncommonly flits from buildings to signs—each a potential muse waiting eagerly to be immortalized. The secret to his success, as he’d have you believe, lies not in grandiose epiphanies but in the simple captures of everyday whims, photos stored away for a rainy creative day.
From the serendipitous glance at a subway badge, Imbriano wove a design narrative that borrows echoes from the past, nodding subtly to the 1982 Topps set with its bold lines that dance up the left and across the top of each card. Newcomers and veterans looking at these cards will be swept into nostalgia tied neatly with a contemporary ribbon, where team colors proudly paint the flowing lines. “It was a happy accident,” Imbriano beamed, confessing that the original muse was woodgrain from the 1962 and 1987 sets. Yet, it was the ’82 homage that ultimately thrilled him—a nod he didn’t plan, yet couldn’t have scripted better.
Creating a winning design at Topps isn’t just a stroke of genius; it’s akin to running a marathon of artistic vendettas. Every year, a battalion of concepts prepares to face off in a gladiatorial selection process right within the sanctum of Topps. Imbriano’s masterpiece dismissed 20 other contenders, emerging victorious after relentless rounds of scrutiny. Those unsung designs often find fragments of life in future sets, where their quirk, their flair, could seamlessly fuse into subsequent releases. This year’s set adorning a small field graphic marking the player’s position bears testament to such creative recycling.
During this design marathon, Imbriano was like a modern-day Da Vinci—crafting ten different versions before the final design finally met the light of day. What most enthusiasts unwrap in seconds belies the intricate craftsmanship that transpires behind the scenes—a labor of love and, occasionally, a test of patience.
Once the digital sketches are given life, the process transitions from the screen to the tangible, yet another crucial step according to Clay Luraschi, Topps’ senior vice president of product. Topps employs a uniquely hands-on approach, printing the final designs and simulating the thrill of unpacking them. It isn’t just nitpicking; it’s tradition, a sacred ritual that determines the new face of Topps baseball cards. Luraschi regards this process with a reverence akin to passing the family broadsword down the generations, from Sy Berger’s iconic kitchen table drafts to these digitized artworks.
Beyond the encore of nostalgic elements in the base design, the Topps Series 1 set waves a magic wand over several new subsets. The ever-popular Future Stars blazes a trail alongside Call to the Hall, and the quirky allure of Training Grounds captures the essence of Spring Training highlights. City Connect Swatch Collection Autographs and Heavy Lumber Autographs, alongside the musical darlings of Signature Tunes, are set to tug heartstrings, evoking the symphony of the players’ walk-up songs.
The first pitch section pays homage to celebrities honored in ceremonial first pitches, with the Dodgers’ specials showcasing Freddie Freeman’s hip-swaying dance—a moment etched in baseball lore. Additionally, a nod to the 1990 set’s bold styles ensures that fans of yesteryear can pull up a chair alongside modern fans and bask in the shared appreciation of the game.
Every card in the 2025 set feels like a mini movie poster deserving of its own frame. “That’s my aim,” Imbriano offered, revealing a peek into the mind of a man who believes in producing collectibles that spell ‘timeless.’ The design honors that timeless objective—a mnemonic bridge between the past and present.
Luraschi couldn’t agree more, surmising that the year-on-year evolution of baseball cards demands a design that is instantly recognizable, not just five decades later but likely even a century into the future. As collectors clutch these delicate assemblages of art and history, they’ll understand that they hold not just a card but a captured moment, easily identifiable from any timeline, and the Topps tradition will continue to thrive, with designs that reminisce and innovate, all in a single heartbeat.
