Picture this: a gloomy morning in New York City, the kind where the streets buzz with unfriendly honks and hurried footsteps, everyone’s bound for places unknown. Amidst this urban symphony, our protagonist, Topps senior designer Phil Imbriano, steps onto a bustling subway car. It’s a routine commute, one he’s made countless times before. Little does he know, today’s ride will take him somewhere far beyond the steel tunnels of the subway.
As the train rhythmically clatters along, Imbriano’s eyes wander aimlessly across the car’s interior, his mind teetering between daydreams and design dilemmas. And there it is—a red-and-silver badge nestled in the corner of the train car. A seemingly mundane detail that, to anyone else, might seem nondescript. But to Imbriano, that shiny badge twinkled with potential. Its sleek contours and distinct color palette stirred an inkling of inspiration.
With the quick snap of his phone camera, Imbriano captured that fleeting moment. By the time he reached his destination—his desk at Topps headquarters—he was sketching away, breathing life into what would become the cornerstone design of the 2025 Topps Series 1 baseball cards, officially launching to much fanfare today.
“I’m a magpie for inspiration, honestly,” Imbriano confesses with a chuckle. “I pick up bits and bobs from everywhere—architecture, street signs, graffiti—anything that catches my eye and sparks a thought. It’s like piecing together a visual puzzle that eventually unfolds into something beautiful.”
The aesthetic that materialized from that subway ride speaks to an intriguing mix of nostalgia and modernity. The 2025 Topps design cuts an elegant figure with two bold lines that curve up the left side and sweep grandly across the card’s top edge. Avid collectors might find themselves taken back to a different era—specifically the 1982 Topps set, through an unintended resonance that was purely, albeit pleasantly, coincidental.
Imbriano initially itched to replicate the rich hues and textured feel of the 1962 and 1987 woodgrain sets. “The tie to the ’82 set was serendipitous,” he shares. “It’s a perfect fusion—giving a vintage vibe a modern-day spin.”
Tucked away behind closed doors, Topps runs a rigorous in-house design competition to select their yearly card design. Concepts from talented designers like Imbriano battle through numerous rounds, each step closer to the iconic finishing line. This year, Imbriano’s inspiration from that fateful subway jaunt outshone twenty other submissions. The result emerged from ten painstaking iterations before the final vision crystallized.
“The process is a marathon,” Imbriano admits. “Folks might not realize it, but an enormous amount of care and craftsmanship is invisibly woven into what eventually finds its way into a collector’s grasp.”
As the digital designs graduate beyond the screen, Topps orchestrates the creation of physical prototypes. This tactile phase is a tradition—a rigorous ritual—that Clay Luraschi, Topps’ senior vice president of product, holds in high regard.
“Once we’re down to the final five, we physically print these out,” Luraschi elaborates, “running mock openings to ensure they evoke the right tactile thrill.” Such a detailed evaluative process highlights the cultural weight tied into each edition. “This marks Topps’ 74th series. From the humble origins on Sy Berger’s kitchen table to our state-of-the-art procedures today—it’s a proud heritage we honor with a spirited twist.”
The 2025 offerings, however, don’t rest their laurels solely on the main attraction. Topps Series 1 teases collectors with dynamic subsets like Future Stars or Training Grounds, and nods playfully to the soundtrack of the sport through the Signature Tunes sequence. Even Hollywood glitz finds its spotlight with First Pitch, capturing celebrities caught in ceremonial throws from the previous season.
An exclusive treat for L.A.’s legions: Dodgers fans can marvel at variations capturing celebratory snapshots, like Freddie Freeman’s iconic dance after his base hits.
Coinciding with the splendor of the 2025 design, the series celebrates the 35th anniversary of the audaciously bold 1990 Topps set. “I see each card as a miniature movie poster,” Imbriano muses, “each with its tale, shining instantly recognizable in a fan’s hand.”
Luraschi beams at what’s been achieved. “Phil crafted something remarkable,” he concludes. “This is more than just baseball cards. It’s a legacy codified in color. Even 50 years from now, these gems will whisper the tales of 2025 upon first glance. That’s exactly the kind of magic we live for.”