The 2025 playoffs marked the most surreal moment of my professional career - witnessing and contributing to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-ever NBA Championship. As part of the design team, I helped shape the visual identity of our historic run, producing graphics that reached audiences across the nation and the world. From leading large-scale print signage seen throughout OKC to developing the core digital and social media system for the postseason, every piece was crafted to capture the energy and depth of our team and of this moment. I was court side throughout the playoffs, producing live content and digital edits in real time, an experience that blended design, storytelling, and celebration on the biggest stage.
Client
Oklahoma City Thunder
Year
2025
INDUSTRY
Sports
CATEGORY
Campaign
CHALLEGE
The team is in an incredibly unique position. We anticipate that engagement will be high and that fans will be eager to be part of our Playoffs journey. How do we create the conditions for the optimal postseason environment in and outside of the arena while also maintaining the right mindset internally and managing expectations externally?
STRATEGY
To craft the optimal postseason atmosphere for staff and fans, we focused on being deliberate in setting expectations internally and externally, showing gratitude for the experience and opportunity, and being timeless with our in-market activations. Creatively, we focused on the idea of our team as an unrelenting force or a unit of collective depth rather than placing emphasis on desired results. Visually, that idea came to life through deep color and bold, typographic shape informing dimensional space. Depth is built through the perspective of the text and the placement of design elements, highlighting our team’s depth of skill and ability to impact the space around us. The simplicity of the bold text against the solid background emphasizes our shared focus and the quiet confidence that sets us apart. The layered positioning of the players builds intimidation through the relentless nature of our team.
REsULTS
When the Thunder captured Oklahoma’s first NBA Championship, our work helped shape a historic moment, energizing the city, resonating with viewers around the world, and earning national acclaim. The Playoffs campaign was praised for its bold, unique design and was widely successful, as shown by the following data:
Thunder web visits during Playoffs: 1.9M
Fan Development paid promo impressions: 2.4M
Ticketing and tune-in social impressions: 5M
Total paid social impressions: 5.6M
Total paid digital impressions: 11.5M
Large Scale Signage - Street Car
Large Scale Signage - Around Arena
Loading Dock, Side of Paycom Center, Player Truss Banners
Large Scale Signage - American Fidelity Building Wrap
Social Media Gameday Graphics
In-Game Social Content
Champions Digital Assets
T-Shirts and Fan Bammers
