About Tom O’Grady
FOUNDER + CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
SPORTS DESIGN AGENCY
Tom O’Grady is arguably --- the most influential if unknown sports executive in the NBA history, certainly in the league’s 70-plus year team logo and uniform legacy. However, in the ever expanding sports design industry, O’Grady is considered the most influential creative force in pro team logo and uniform design. Tom’s team sports design resume is expansive --- and includes over 50 pro basketball, football and baseball rebrands as well as numerous expansion team identities.
O’Grady’s innovative creative vision and brand development has won Tom the 1998 BRANDWEEK Marketer of the Year Award for the creative direction and brand buildout of the Women’s National Basketball Association (the WNBA). And in 2013, Tom was awarded a CLIO Sports Design Award for the brand creation of the Elite Football League of India, an American-style football league, which plays in the South Asia region with 12 teams from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
In 1990, O’Grady was hired by legendary National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern to be the NBA’s first creative director. Stern’s mandate was to focus on visualizing, building and guiding the increasingly popular NBA brand and its’ 29 individual teams brands. In a span of five short but explosive years, Tom’s vision and efforts built NBA Creative Services into a 25-person in-house creative agency powerhouse responsible for strategic marketing, brand identity, and event design for the NBA, the WNBA, USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s Teams and the NBA Development League.
A review of the NBA and WNBA teams which Tom O’Grady helped name, rebrand and design is a who’s who of popular teams created during the most visually innovative era in team sports history, the ‘90s.
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
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:
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.
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.