The GDUSA Sports Design Awards™ celebrates excellence in visual communications that define American sports culture.
The program honors outstanding work in branding and identity, uniforms and environmental graphics, live and digital experiences, advertising and promotion, packaging and point-of-purchase, indeed all graphic communications created for teams, leagues, events, venues, broadcasts and streaming, and the related sports businesses that have grown up around the ‘game’.
An esteemed panel of creative leaders selects the entries that demonstrate exceptional innovation, craft, and impact — recognizing the designers and organizations shaping how sports look, feel, and connect with fans.
CATEGORIES
- Team & Event Brand Identity
- Marketing & Promotional Design
- Digital & Broadcast
- Apparel & Merchandise
- Environmental & Experiential
MEET THE JUDGES
Sagi Haviv
Sagi Haviv is a partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, the firm responsible for many of the most famous logos of all time, including National Geographic, Chase Bank, NBC, TNT Sports, Conservation International, State Farm, Mobil Oil, Showtime Networks, NYU, Animal Planet, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, and most recently the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, the NYC Marathon, Warner Bros, and ATP. The firm designed the identities for both the U.S. Bicentennial (1976) and the this year’s 250th anniversary of the United States (2026).
Sagi joined the firm in 2003 after graduating from The Cooper Union School of Art. A go-to expert on the process of effective logo design, Sagi has contributed to the New York Times, Bloomberg, Fast Company, Creative Review, It’s Nice That, Design Week, designboom, PBS, NBC’s Meet The Press, and SkillShare. He speaks about logo design around the world, including for TEDx, AIGA, HOW Design Conference, Brand New Conference, Princeton University, Onassis Foundation, American Advertising Federation, and Columbia Business School, amongst many others. He teaches Visual Identity Design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Sagi is coauthor of Identify: Basic Principles of Identity Design in the Iconic Trademarks of Chermayeff & Geismar (Print Publishers, 2011) and Identity: Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv (Standards Manual, May, 2018).
Nick Matarese
Nick entered the design world upon graduation from the highly competitive University of Delaware Visual Communications program. While working for The Henson Group, he designed and created ads for multiple adidas brands and Brute Wrestling while also working with lacrosse star, John Grant Jr., Olympic gold medalists, and many NCAA programs. That experience has helped him grow and truly understand the strength of a sports brand and how its design can shape a community.
Nick ventured out on his own, starting The Barn Creative in October 2010 and has grown ever since. Nick has spoken at fortune 500 companies, national design conferences, and podcasts have featured his process.
Since 2010 The Barn Creative has won over 100 national awards working on brands like Disney, adidas, NBC Sports, breweries, colleges, and professional sports teams in the NFL, NHL, and MLB… but if you ask Nick, his proudest achievement to date is design work inside the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Nick and The Barn Creative strive to create something they call a “franchise brand.” A brand that will not only stand the test of time, but make an emotional connection to your audience for years to come.
Nate Evans
Nate Evans (they/them) is a graphic designer for the Oklahoma City Thunder with experience designing across the entertainment, technology, and sports industries. With over 6 years of experience and multiple industry awards, Nate’s work reflects a balance of strategy, innovation, and precision. Their work has played a key role in shaping high visibility moments for the Thunder franchise, including 3 start-of-season campaigns, 2 Playoffs campaigns, and 1 NBA Finals campaign. From post-season branding systems to large scale fan engagement activities, Nate brings a deeper understanding to how design performs in high pressure environments where every detail contributes to larger brand narratives.
Jaden Roberts-Thomas
Jaden Roberts-Thomas is a dynamic graphic designer specializing in sports. Currently serving as a Graphic Designer for San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, he creates bold, engaging visual content that connects fans to the game and strengthens brand identity across platforms.Prior to his role in professional soccer, Jaden worked as Assistant Director of Graphic Design at the University of Missouri. He also gained hands-on experience as a Football Recruiting Creative Intern at Wake Forest University.A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a BFA in Radio, TV, and Digital Media, Jaden blends storytelling with strong visual strategy to craft compelling designs that resonate both on and off the field. Known for his collaborative mindset and eye for detail, he thrives in fast-paced environments where creativity and teamwork drive results.
QUESTIONS OR ASSISTANCE
awards@gdusa.com
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Winning entrants grant Graphic Design USA the right to reproduce the winning pieces in the GDUSA Digital Design Awards Annual in print, digital, web and mobile editions, and in any and all materials and media produced for promotional purposes by Graphic Design USA.
