Adobe and the San Francisco 49ers: celebrating diversity, creativity, and hometown pride
In the Bay Area, during football season, Sundays are all about the San Francisco 49ers. One of the most successful teams in the NFL, the 49ers are a beloved local institution, a sporting symbol woven deeply into the fabric of the community. On game days, 70,000 faithful pack Levi’s® Stadium to create a flag-waving, jersey-wearing spectacle of red, white, and gold as fans from different backgrounds and experiences gather to cheer on their home team.
Sports have an ability to unite, amaze, and inspire people, to evoke strong feelings and showcase creativity, collaboration, and beauty. At Adobe, we know art can do the same. And the Bay Area — dynamic and progressive — is home to a proud, colorful, and innovative art and sports scene.
This year, Adobe and the 49ers are coming together to pay homage to the Bay and elevate the love fans feel for their hometown by commissioning two local artists to develop a pair of murals at Levi's® Stadium that connect to the 49ers and Bay Area culture.
Celebrating the Bay Area’s rich diversity, fan passion, and talented creative community, the 2024 murals will be unveiled at the 49ers’ home game against Seattle on November 17.
Read on to learn about the artists and their murals.
Nadzeya Makeyeva | Objective artist and illustration designer
Nadzeya Makeyeva is a professional artist with a sunny disposition and an ever-present smile — fitting, as her name means hope in her native language.
Born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, Makeyeva recalls cold winters, gray government buildings, and a “closed society” with little tourism or self-expression. She found color and created fantasy through her love of fairy tales and science fiction, particularly “ The Chronicles of Narnia” books she read growing up.
“I tried to draw the things that I wanted to be real around me,” says Makeyeva. “I loved creating a world of magic I could live in, and I loved that all I needed was a pencil and paper.”
In 2019, eight years after graduating from the Belarusian National Academy of Arts, Makeyeva moved to San Francisco. She felt a strong connection to the Bay Area’s natural beauty, architecture, and people. Amid the energy and diversity of the city, surrounded by ocean and wildlife, she’s constantly inspired.
“I reflect my love for this place into my art,” she says.
To Makeyeva, the distinctive Bay Area culture is about openness and innovation, especially in art. There’s an embrace of contemporary styles, a multiculturalism that lets creatives explore unique stories, and a vibrant public art scene that “brings stories to the streets.”
She says living in San Francisco has made her art “brighter and more vibrant,” and the Bay Area’s creative community has undeniably impacted her work. Makeyeva calls it an “incredible honor” to be chosen for the 49ers mural opportunity.
“It’s like I’m fully a part of the Bay Area art scene,” she says, “contributing to something that means so much to the community.”
The fact that the project is an Adobe partnership makes it even more exciting. Makeyeva remembers the first time her father showed her Adobe Photoshop, and how she felt like she’d been given “an atomic engine.” The tool seemed to supercharge her artistic ability — suddenly, she was creating stunning castles like those in Narnia and putting a jeweled crown on her head. “It was pure magic,” she says.
Praising the accessibility and technical capabilities of Photoshop — especially the seemingly unlimited layer quantity — Makeyeva says she’s “devoted” to using it in all her handcrafted art, including the 49ers mural.
Depicting team mascot Sourdough Sam as a mix of superhero and magical creature, “flying through the sky and carrying victory,” the image makes her smile — it’s reminiscent of the early mythological illustrations she made back home while celebrating the San Francisco community where she happily lives now.
“I see how much the 49ers mean to the Bay Area,” she says. “I want my mural to show the energy in the fan community and the power of the team itself.”
Dennis Brown | Mixed media artist, illustrator, and designer
Brown spent the first half of his life overseas before moving to the US in 2001 to study illustration at Florida’s Ringling School of Art and Design. Following a stint in New York, Brown in 2009 moved yet again — this time to San Francisco. He hasn’t moved again since.
When he arrived 15 years ago, Brown fell in love with the Bay Area’s beauty and neighborhoods. He remembers feeling drawn to the Bay for its creative energy and diversity, unique culture, and “thriving art community,” which he found “very welcoming.”
While skilled in a variety of mediums, Brown has increasingly focused on pen and ink drawing, his first love. Tracing his inspiration back to the base, Brown recalls asking his dad to draw pictures of cars and cartoon characters and trying to replicate them.
“It became a fascination, the idea of creating something from scratch, from just a couple marks and lines,” he says.
In high school, a job bagging groceries gave Brown his eventual pen name, Bagger43. Around that same time, he discovered Photoshop. Since then, Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator have been “the core programs” Brown uses every day.
As a fan of both Adobe and Bay Area sports, he says it’s “amazing” and “truly flattering” that he was selected to use his “go-to digital tools” to design the 49ers mural.
Brown starts his creative process by hand-drawing a sketch with pen and ink. Then he scans the picture and edits it using Photoshop — often running it through image trace to vectorize the line art before redrawing to make it look organic and not purely digital. Finally, he applies all the finishing touches in Illustrator.
For the 49ers mural, he wanted to capture iconic imagery in an overlapping patchwork — San Francisco’s logo and colors, team mottos like “Forever Faithful,” the Golden Gate Bridge, and more. It’s a checkerboard-like piece that visually represents the 49ers but showcases Brown’s signature hand-drawn style.
“It’s bright and bold, but when you look more closely, you see all the different imagery, and it’s open for interpretation,” he says. “I’m hoping when fans see it, they feel some connection and the visuals resonate because this is truly for them.”
Celebrating artist stories and showcasing creative talent
At Adobe, we believe creativity is for all. We aim to support the diverse perspectives of local, emerging artists and celebrate their stories and talent while creating fun, inspiring moments and empowering anyone to express themselves.
Starting November 17, fans can experience the new murals up close at Levi's Stadium. And don't miss your chance to enter the Adobe x 49ers sweepstakes for a shot at winning game tickets, merchandise, and more.