How Upper Deck Can Thrive in 2010 - Part 2

So how the heck is Upper Deck going to sell cards without an MLB license anyway?

Ok, I've thrown out the obvious Retro idea already and I still have no clue how they can ceep their bease Upper Deck set together without it looking like garbage. It doesn't mean I'm out of ideas on how UD can make a splash in 2010. And with all good ideas, there's a little bit of borrowing involved.

Upper Deck has a license with the Players' Union so they can print up as many cards of Major League players as their heart desires. But they can't show any logos or the Laywers Shall Feast. Now how do you put together a good card set featuring players but where logos are not necessary. Something distinctive and attractive and unique in the market. I can think of a brand of cards that did that. A brand from loong loong time ago. This brand:

Upper Deck: STEAL STUDIO.

Donruss sure ain't doing anything with it. Hell, I don't think the ham-fisted designers over at Playoffnini could even pull off a set like Studio anymore. It's the perfect concept for cards that has to focus on people and not embroidered uniform adornments.

See? A couple of logos snuck through there, but you could kick 'em out and noone would notice. Of course, some Studio sets have logos as a central theme but Upper Deck doesn't need to steal mimic borrow pay homage to the exect design of one of those Studio sets, they can just use the concept of a well done artsy set that focuses on the player. Upper Deck hasn't had much luck borrowing designs lately anyway.

Upper Deck doesn't really need to steal the concept anyway, they had a pretty good set in '07 and '08 that was kind of artsy fartsy. Masterpieces, maybe you've heard of it? Turn it into a base set from of, ahem, studio portrait cards and then add in a subset/SP/insert set of art cards like the good 'ol Masterpieces we love so well and Upper Deck might just have a winner there. It's not like they haven't done this before...

Remember the Iooss Collection?

Perhaps the V.J Lovero showcase?

Upper Deck can do the exact same thing for a 2010 set. Hire a big shot photographer or even a bunch of 'em and feature their logoless photographs in a set. I hear Annie Leibovitz is looking to make some quick cash....

Note - I haven't had any time to check all the other blogs out there lately so if anyone else proposed this.... HAHA!!! I JUST STOLE IT!!! See how easy that is, Upper Deck?