We all have been there.
You see an email sitting in your inbox, you take a quick look at it, and it's nothing you were expecting. The first reaction is, it's junk mail.
So, you do what's been hammered into your head to do with emails like that.
You delete it.
That's exactly what Nina Zivkovic did when she saw an email with the Steelers mentioned in the subject line before the 2021 Steelers season. As someone who grew up a fan of the Cleveland Browns, she didn't see the need to open it.
But there was something telling her maybe she should look at it. Maybe it was legit. And after all, now that she was living in Pittsburgh, an email with the hometown team in the subject line might be worth a look.
And she was right.
The email was from Dan Rugh, the owner of Pittsburgh based CommonWealth Press. And it was offering her the opportunity of a lifetime. The company had just agreed to work with the Steelers on printing a new Game Day Poster Series and they were looking for artists to do the design work. Rugh had seen Zivkovic's work and wanted her to be a part of the new venture.
"It's kind of crazy thinking back on it," said Zivkovic. "I was going through my emails, and I saw something Steelers in my inbox. And I thought it was just a random newsletter and I deleted it. Something made me stop and I had a weird feeling that maybe I should have looked at that email before I deleted it. I opened it up and it's from Dan at CommonWealth press and he said we like your work."
The email was totally unexpected by Zivkovic, but something that got her juices flowing and she knew immediately she wanted to be a part of it.
"CommonWealth Press found me, and they linked us all up together with the Steelers," said Zivkovic, who has designed five posters over four seasons. "It was a feeling I had that I went right back to that email, because I would have regretted it.
"It's been such a fantastic collaboration for a few years now. This has been amazing, and I'm completely taken aback by it. I never thought I would work with an organization like the Steelers at this level. I've worked with the Steelers at an agency for ads and stuff for the visitor's guide. But not on my own. I never thought I would experience this. I love art, I love illustration, and it's a complete honor every time I do a poster. It's crazy."
Zivkovic is the Design Director of Ready®, one of the fastest-growing sports nutrition brands in America. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators and has done work with Women Who Rock™, Melinda and the Night Sky, Stage AE, Primanti Bros., P3R Marathon, Giant Eagle and more.
She designed her first poster for the Steelers for the Week 9 game against the Chicago Bears in 2021, combining her love of comic book art with football history to come up with her design.
Since then, it's continued to grow.
"I get a little bit inspired by comic book art," said Zivkovic. "My brother was an artist before me. He's two years older than me. And he would draw comic book covers and cool comic book art. I thought, if he can do it, I can do it. My whole family is very creative, so I'm just naturally always in a creative environment, whether it's music, movies or pop culture. I get inspired a lot through those elements and sports, too.
"Every year it's been a little bit different. The first year it was more of here's what you can't do, focus on the team in general. The second year, we really dove into the themes, and I had the Buccaneers, and it was for the Crucial Catch game. And it's just grown."
The posters are sold at the Steelers Pro Shop on game days, with the proceeds benefitting Artists Image Resource (AIR), a Pittsburgh laboratory designed to serve artists, educators, and the community.
Seeing her work for sale at the Pro Shop is something that she will never tire of.
"I still haven't gotten used to it yet," said Zivkovic. "When I see my poster in the Steelers Pro Shop, I think how is this possible. I still feel as fresh as I was when I first started. It still blows my mind when I think of how I got here.
"I grew up loving football, so this is the perfect combination of how I can bring all my creativity with my love of the sports atmosphere. It's just been a great combination."
And yes, it might have been mentioned earlier that she grew up a Browns fan.
The good news is, she has been converted.
Through her work with the Steelers the past few years, and living in Pittsburgh for 15 years, black and gold is now a part of her.
"My whole adult life I have lived in Pittsburgh," said Zivkovic. "I love Pittsburgh. I grew up in Cleveland. That's why I want to preface that. I was a Browns fan, but I was a general football fan. I loved the atmosphere around it.
"But I love you guys. I tell people, the Steelers are great, the people are great, the fans are electric. I went to a preseason game and there was so much energy.
"I never thought I would say it, but because of that first poster series, I love the Steelers. You guys are fantastic. How could I not be one. I am 100 percent a Steelers fan."
