Tom O’Grady: The Mastermind of
Modern Sports Branding

FOUNDER + CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF SPORTS DESIGN AGENCY + GAMEPLAN CREATIVE

An unsung titan of the NBA’s visual legacy, Tom O’Grady orchestrated the most transformative era in sports aesthetics. As the strategic force redefining team identities, he turned franchises into cultural icons and leagues into global brands.  

Appointed by Commissioner David Stern in 1990 as the **NBA’s first Creative Director**, O’Grady engineered a revolution: he built the league’s in-house creative agency (NBA Creative Services) into a 25-person powerhouse—an unprecedented model that became the blueprint for modern sports branding. His system fueled the NBA’s meteoric ’90s rise, the **most creatively explosive period in sports design history**.

  • 50+ iconic rebrands** (NBA, NFL, MLB) and expansion teams;  

  • League-defining identities** for the WNBA (*Brandweek Marketer of the Year*, 1998) .

  • Elite Football League of India (*Clio Sports Award. 2013);  

  • USA Basketball, WNBA, and NBA D-League branding systems.  

Beyond logos, he masterminded a paradigm shift: branding as strategic infrastructure. Uniforms became narratives; teams became myths. His legacy? Every league today has a "Creative Services" division.

Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats 
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets

New Orleans Hornets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Seattle Supersonics
Toronto Raptors 
Vancouver Grizzlies 
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Houston Comets
New York Liberty
Sacramento Monarchs

Cleveland Cavaliers
Minnesota Lynx
Miami Sol
Charlotte Sting
Phoenix Mercury
Seattle Storm
Los Angeles Spark 
Indiana Fever
Portland Fire
Utah Starzz
Orlando Miracle

From 2008 through 2010, Tom consulted with the Chicago Blackhawks as Executive Producer and was fortunate enough to be part of their first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years. Tom was lucky enough to earn a Stanley Cup ring which he cherishes as he…

From 2008 through 2010, Tom consulted with the Chicago Blackhawks as Executive Producer and was fortunate enough to be part of their first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years. Tom was lucky enough to earn a Stanley Cup ring which he cherishes as he has been a lifelong Blackhawks fan. 

About Gameplan Creative

During the mid- 20 teens, many of the NBA team logos and uniform Tom created have seen an incredible renewal in popularity such as the Raptors, Grizzlies and Jazz which led to the launch of O’Grady Sports Design. In addition to the recent founding of OSD, O’Grady continues to oversee the award-winning sports agency Gameplan Creative Chicago which is approaching its’ 20th year of Building Better Brands.

Please  check the work at gameplancreative.com or call the main office at 312.515.1777

After 13 years at the League, Tom saw an opportunity to parlay his experience and sports branding knowledge learned at the NBA and founded Gameplan Creative, a branding agency focused on sports design, video animation and non-sports corporate branding. 

A sampling of clients Gameplan Creative has worked with include:

Major League Baseball
National Hockey League
Major League Soccer
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Fire
US Open Tennis

New York Islanders
New York Yankees
New York Mets
University of Illinois
Charlotte Bobcats
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
World Series of Fighting

In 2014, Gameplan Creative won a CLIO SPORTS AWARD for integrated branding for the Elite Football League of India, a professional American-style football league in South Asia.