data vizsportssocial media

Data-Driven Art: Turning FPL Stats into Visual Infographics and Shareable Social Cards

ddigitalart

2026-03-04

10 min read

Convert live FPL data into fast, on-brand infographics and animated social packs using Illustrator + After Effects. Automate weekly workflows.

If you produce weekly Fantasy Premier League content, you know the pain: live injury updates, last-minute rotation whispers, and a clock that won't wait while you rebuild the same visual from scratch. This guide shows how to convert live FPL data into beautiful, on-brand infographics and social-ready image packs using Illustrator and After Effects — with automation, templates, and export settings that save hours every gameweek.

Why this matters in 2026

Short-form content and real-time updates continue to dominate social feeds. Publishers that combine speed with strong visual design win attention and clicks. In late 2025 and into 2026, the expectation for fast, data-driven visuals rose sharply: audiences prefer cards that summarize stats quickly and motion that highlights changes. Using automated pipelines to turn live FPL feeds into shareable assets gives weekly creators a competitive edge.

What you'll get from this guide (quick)

Exact data sources and how to fetch live FPL JSON
Two automated pipelines: Illustrator for static packs, After Effects for animated cards
Scripts, CSV formats, and expression snippets you can drop into your projects
Export settings, artboard sizes, and distribution notes for social platforms
Licensing and monetization tips for selling templates or subscription packs

1 — Source the live FPL data (fast, reliable)

The backbone of any data-driven visual is a reliable feed. Two common sources creators use in 2026:

Fantasy Premier League public API (JSON endpoints). The FPL API provides player stats, fixtures, form, ownership, and team news. It's the most direct source for up-to-the-minute FPL metrics.
Publisher APIs and feeds (e.g., BBC Sport) for curated team-news updates and context. Use these for narrative copy around injuries and press-conference updates.

Quick fetch example (Node.js). Save as fetch-fpl.js and run on a schedule (Friday evening / Saturday morning):

const fetch = require('node-fetch');
  (async ()=>{
    const res = await fetch('https://fantasy.premierleague.com/api/bootstrap-static/');
    const json = await res.json();
    require('fs').writeFileSync('fpl-bootstrap.json', JSON.stringify(json));
    console.log('Saved fpl-bootstrap.json');
  })();

Or, if you prefer a no-code option, use Google Sheets + Apps Script to fetch JSON into a sheet and export CSV for Illustrator’s data variables.

What to store in your data model

Design your JSON/CSV to include the specific fields your visuals use. Example minimal structure for a weekly card pack:

{
  "gameweek": 24,
  "top_scorer": {"name":"Alex", "goals":12, "team":"MCI"},
  "most_selected": {"name":"Kane", "ownership":45.2},
  "injuries": [{"player":"John Stones","status":"Doubt"}],
  "captain_pick_pct": 38.4
}

Illustrator is ideal for crisp static cards and multi-artboard exports. The trick is setting a template with variables so you only swap the data each week.

Artboards & sizes (start here)

Instagram post: 1080 x 1080 px
Twitter/X / Facebook feed: 1200 x 675 px (or 16:9)
Instagram Stories / TikTok cover: 1080 x 1920 px
Thumbnail/preview: 800 x 450 px

Create each size as its own artboard in one .ai file to batch-export the full pack.

Use Illustrator Variables for CSV-driven updates

Illustrator's Variables panel lets you bind text fields and images to CSV (or XML) data sets. Workflow:

Create named text layers (e.g., player_name, stat_value, note_line).
Place image frames for player photos/club crests and name them (player_image, club_crest).
Open Window > Variables and map each layer to a variable.
Prepare a CSV where headers match variable names and the image cells point to local filenames or URLs.
Import Data Set > Import CSV in the Variables panel. Illustrator generates data sets you can preview, then export using File > Export > Export As > PNG (Use Artboards).

CSV sample (first two columns):

player_name,goals,player_image
Harry Kane,14,images/kane.png
Erling Haaland,18,images/haaland.png

Batch export with scripting

For large packs, use a small Illustrator script to switch datasets and export artboards. Save repeating clicks. Example pseudo-flow:

Load CSV into script (or read JSON and map fields)
For each row: set document variables, refresh document, export artboards as PNG into /exports/gameweek-24/

If you prefer not to script, you can still use the Variables panel's data sets and the Export As dialog, but scripting saves 20–60 minutes per week.

3 — Animate the top cards in After Effects (fast, data-driven motion)

Animated cards get extra reach in feeds and Reels. After Effects is ideal: you can import the same JSON datafeed used by Illustrator and drive layers with expressions.

Import JSON into After Effects and read values

Import your JSON file (File > Import) — After Effects treats it as footage. Use an expression on a Source Text layer to read a value:

var data = footage('fpl-summary.json').sourceData;
data.top_scorer.name + ' — ' + data.top_scorer.goals + ' goals';

This approach keeps your motion templates reusable: swap the JSON and the comp updates.

Motion techniques that work weekly

Slide + number-tween: animate number changes with an expression that eases from previous to new value for a satisfying tally effect.
Pulse on change: detect changes in an array (e.g., ownership up/down) and trigger a scale/pulse animation via expressions.
Layered reveal: stagger player cards with position and opacity to create quick digestible sequences.
Template MOGRTs: export Motion Graphics templates (MOGRT) for Premiere/Creators to quickly update text + JSON in a simpler UI.

AE Expression snippet: animate a numeric stat

// Put this on a Source Text property
var data = footage('fpl-summary.json').sourceData;
var endVal = data.captain_pick_pct; // e.g., 38.4
var dur = 0.8; // seconds to animate
var t0 = inPoint; // start
var progress = ease(Math.min((time - t0)/dur, 1), 0, 1);
Math.round(endVal * progress) + '%';

Automated renders with aerender

Set up a headless render on a small VM (or your desktop) using After Effects' aerender. For weekly creators this means you can push a JSON and trigger a render that outputs MP4 and GIF options into your distribution folder automatically.

/Applications/Adobe\ After\ Effects/ae_render/aerender \
  -project "fpl-pack.aep" \
  -comp "IG_1080" \
  -output "/exports/gameweek-24/ig_card.mp4"

4 — Pipeline example: From fetch to publish (recommended weekly schedule)

Friday 18:00 — Run the fetch script to capture latest FPL data and team news.
Friday 18:05 — Generate CSV for Illustrator and JSON for AE from the same canonical source. Validate fields.
Friday 18:10 — Illustrator: import CSV, preview datasets, export static pack (4 sizes x 6 cards).
Friday 18:20 — After Effects: import JSON, check comps, hit aerender for animated cards.
Friday 18:40 — Quick QA: check player name spellings, club crests, and injury flags. Manually override any last-minute press-conference updates.
Friday 19:00 — Schedule posts across platforms using your social scheduler or publish immediately for Friday night traffic.

5 — Export settings and platform tips

Static images (PNG/JPEG)

Use PNG-24 for crisp text and logos. For smaller file size use high-quality JPEG at 85% if no transparency is needed.
Include a 4–8px safe margin for captions/overlays that platforms may add.

Animated cards (MP4 + Lottie)

Export MP4 (H.264, baseline/main profile) 1080p for Reels/IG/TikTok. Target bitrate 6–10 Mbps for 1080p.
For lightweight web embeds use Lottie (Bodymovin) — great for homepage stats widgets or newsletters. Keep animations vector-only and avoid unsupported effects when exporting to Lottie.

6 — Accessibility, licensing and fact-checking (must-dos)

Accessibility: Add descriptive alt text to image posts (manually or via social scheduler). For motion, include concise captions and a pinned comment with the stat summary.

Licensing: FPL public data is generally available, but check the official FPL terms before mass-redistributing raw data. Club crests, photos, and official logos are often trademarked — use them only if you have permission or use licensed alternatives/neutral silhouettes to avoid takedowns.

Fact-checking: Always verify injury and availability updates against official club statements or press conferences. The BBC and major outlets update live — consider adding a short timestamp to every card to show freshness.

7 — Design patterns that perform for creators

Single-stat focus: People like bite-sized insights: "Most transferred in" or "Captain pick this gameweek".
Compare & contrast: Side-by-side player cards (e.g., "Kane vs Haaland — form & ownership").
Visual hierarchy: Large number + name + context line. Keep copy short — visuals should answer the "so what?" quickly.
Brand system: Reuse a color palette and typographic scale. Create 3–4 templates: hero stat, injury alert, transfer-trending, captain pick.

8 — Monetization strategies for weekly packs

Creators can turn this workflow into recurring revenue:

Sell weekly or seasonal social-card packs on Gumroad/Ko-fi with update options.
Offer a subscription that includes branded packs each week (formats: PNG pack + 1 animated MP4 + editable .ai/.aep files).
Create a Patreon tier where you customize cards with a creator’s branding.
License premium templates to smaller publishers or podcasts who want consistent weekly visuals.

9 — Advanced: Personalization & scaling (2026 trends)

In 2026, personalization and automation are practical at scale. Two notable directions:

Dynamic image APIs: Services like ImageMagick in serverless functions or headless Chrome can assemble personalized cards on demand for each follower (e.g., "Your captain got 10 points").
Templated video rendering: Run After Effects in a render farm or use cloud rendering (aerender in a container) and trigger renders with webhooks. This lets you generate hundreds of personalized clips per gameweek for influencer campaigns.

These advanced workflows increase engagement and create premium, high-touch products for fans willing to pay.

10 — Quick checklist & troubleshooting

Fetch: Did the fetch script return 200? Is the JSON valid?
CSV/JSON mapping: Do fields and variable names match exactly (case-sensitive)?
Images: Are player images and crests in the expected folder and referenced correctly?
Typography: Are fonts embedded or outlined to avoid issues when opening on other machines?
Exports: Check one exported image and one video on mobile for cropping/legibility.

Pro tip: Keep a small "override" CSV row for urgent manual edits (misspelled names, last-minute injuries). It's faster than reworking the designer file.

Case study — One creator's 90-minute Friday routine

Sam, a weekly FPL creator, cut her creation time from 4 hours to 90 minutes by automating the pipeline described here. Her steps:

Automated fetch at 17:55 on Friday
CSV generation + Illustrator batch export (20 minutes)
After Effects render queue triggered via aerender for 2 animated cards (40 minutes)
Final QA and scheduling (10 minutes)

Sam monetizes by offering branded packs to small clubs and a $5/month Patreon tier with weekly downloadable PNG + one MP4. Her churn is low because the pack saves subscribers time and keeps feeds looking professional.

Final checklist: Files you should maintain

Master .ai template with variables & multi-artboard export
Master .aep with comps wired to JSON (Source Text expressions)
Fetch script(s) and a small validator
Export folder structure by gameweek: /exports/gw-24/{png,mp4,source}
README with steps to re-run the weekly pipeline

Wrap-up & next steps

Turning live FPL stats into polished, shareable visuals doesn't have to be manual drudgery. Build a canonical data source, design a variables-driven Illustrator template for static packs, and wire your animated cards in After Effects to JSON. Automate exports and renders, add a quick QA pass for last-minute news, and you'll ship professional content every week without the stress.

Ready-made resources: If you want to hit the ground running, download my free starter pack: Illustrator template (+ CSV example), After Effects comp with JSON bindings, and aerender command file. It includes export presets and a short Google Apps Script to fetch FPL JSON. Use it as a base and brand it for your channel.

Want the starter pack or a custom-branded template for your channel? Click below to subscribe and get weekly templates before each gameweek — plus a short course on building your automation chain.

Call to action: Download the free starter pack and one-week trial template now, or join the weekly creators' list for automated templates delivered every gameweek. Start saving hours and turn your FPL insights into content that clicks.

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