Athlete Branding & Creative Direction
Brand strategy, creative direction, personal logos, wordmarks, bespoke typography, and visual identities for professional, college or high school athletes, their agencies or NIL collectives.
Based in Lexington, T/A Martin Studio has designed athlete brands for former University of Kentucky guards turned NBA players Tyler Ulis and Malik Monk, and the logo on MLB All-Star Matt Carpenter's Nike player edition cleats. The Tyler Ulis Foundation logo was shortlisted by the Clio Sports Awards and featured in PRINT Magazine's Regional Design Annual.
With name, image, and likeness, athletes can build their brands before they enter college or turn professional and carry that brand throughout their own personal entrepreneurship, even when finishing their sporting career. We help athletes, families, agents, and collectives create visual identities that are personal, ownable, trademarkable, and ready to be handed off for merchandise or digital from day one, with every project led by Creative Director T. Adam Martin.
Selected Athlete Work
What an Athlete Brand Includes
strategy
›› Brand Positioning
›› Name & Nickname Exploration
›› Brand Guidelines
identity
›› Custom Wordmarks
›› Number & Initial Marks
›› Patterns & Graphic Elements
›› Foundation & Charity Branding
merchandise
›› Player Edition Footwear Marks
›› Production-Ready Files
›› Packaging
digital + motion
›› Content Templates
›› Website Visual Design
›› Animated Logo Reveals
›› Kinetic Typography
›› Animated Logos & Stickers for TikTok, Snapchat & IG Stories
›› Interactive Web Graphics (Rive)
›› AI Brand Toolkits
How We Build Your Brand
Not every athlete gets a personal logo from their shoe company's in-house design team. We give athletes, families, and agents the same strategic, research-driven process we use for pro teams and college programs, scaled to one person's story.
Discovery
Every athlete brand starts with the person. We research your story: hometown, high school, nickname, number, family, and the people and causes you care about off the field.
Strategy
We define what your brand stands for and how it should feel, and make sure it fits alongside your business, entrepreneurial, and brand partners rather than competing with them.
Visual Design
We sketch and explore until the shapes, letters, and symbols tell your story at a glance, then present creative directions for you, your family, and your agent to weigh in on.
Activation
The final identity, including logo, wordmark, color palette, typography, and brand guidelines, is delivered with production-ready files for apparel, camps, social, and merchandise.
Case in point: Kentucky coach John Calipari said Tyler Ulis had "the heart of a lion." The studio turned Tyler's initials into a cat-like face that forms an abstract lion, used the colors of his Chicago high school where his journey began, and chose typography that aligns with his Nike partnership without using the swoosh. The logo was shortlisted by the Clio Sports Awards. See the Tyler Ulis case study. And for Malik Monk, an M and a W for his Arkansas neighborhood, "The Woodz," became a basketball. More marks for athletes and teams live in our logo collection.
Recognition
- Clio Sports Awards, Shortlist
- PRINT Magazine Regional Design Annual
Athlete & Brand Experience
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA
- Tyler Ulis, former NBA
- Malik Monk, NBA
- Matt Carpenter, MLB
- Wan’Dale Robinson, NFL
- Nike Field & Team Sports
- Nike Basketball
- adidas Basketball
- Under Armour Basketball
- Steph Curry Brand
- Athlete Essentials Group
- The Virtus Brand
- Overtime
- SLAM Magazine
Frequently Asked Questions
What's included in an athlete brand identity?
Most athlete brands include a primary logo (a monogram or a symbol/icon, depending on the athlete's preference), a custom wordmark, supporting marks and patterns, and brand guidelines, delivered as production-ready files for apparel, merchandise, social, and footwear.
Can college athletes hire you for NIL branding?
Yes. Name, image, and likeness rules let college athletes build personal brands while still in school. We create logos, merch-ready identities, and t-shirt and apparel designs for student-athletes, and we recommend checking your school's NIL and compliance guidelines before launching.
Do you work with agents, agencies, and NIL collectives?
Yes. We've worked with athlete representation and NIL agencies to design brands for the athletes they represent, and we can support agencies and collectives building brands for multiple athletes.
Do you create animated logos and motion graphics?
Yes. We design motion versions of your brand in code and Rive, from animated logo reveals and kinetic typography to animated logos and stickers for TikTok, Snapchat, and IG Stories, plus interactive graphics for your website. We don't film or edit video, but we can recommend trusted videographers from our network.
What rights do I get to my finished logo?
You get perpetual, royalty-free rights to use your final logo and brand assets once the project is paid in full, so they're yours to put on apparel, merchandise, social, and everything in between. Specific rights can be tailored in your agreement, and if you'd like to protect your mark, we coordinate trademark research and registration through our trademark and IP attorney partner.
Building your brand, or representing athletes who need one? Let's talk.
New Business: newbiz@tamartin.studio
Branding an entire program? See our college athletics branding work.