GDUSA Sports Design Award Winners Prove AI Is No Match for Human Creativity

Honorees from the Blackhawks, Wizards, FC Como Women, Gotham FC, Seattle Mariners and others show how great design turns team spirit into shared culture

BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphic Design USA has announced the winners of its inaugural GDUSA Sports Design Awards, celebrating the designers and teams behind the visual experiences connecting fans to teams, athletes and cities.

The winning work proves a simple point: the best sports design begins with fans - not the abstract idea - but real people in real places. Fans standing in line for a jersey. Fans talking through a game of cards after dinner. Fans who know when a design connects and when it does not.

The 2026 jury included Sagi Haviv, partner and designer at Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv; Nick Matarese, a leading voice in sports branding; award-winning designer Jaden Roberts-Thomas of San Diego Wave FC; and Nate Evans, who designs for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The awards carry a timely message for the age of artificial intelligence: AI can make images quickly, but it cannot sit in the stands, understand a rivalry, remember a childhood jersey, or know what a team means at a family table. Human designers bring that knowledge into the work, turning emotion into systems fans can see, use and share.

"Sports design is fan culture made visible," said Gordon Kaye, Publisher of GDUSA. "Identity lives wherever fans live - on a uniform, in a locker room, inside an app, on a broadcast, across a city block or in a family game around a table."

The Overall First Place winner, Blackhawks Black Jersey Creative Identity by the Chicago Blackhawks, turned the return of the team's black jersey into a full Chicago moment. It brought the jersey back with a modern black-on-black visual system, red typography, retail graphics and in-arena content. Online inventory sold out within hours, single-day retail records fell in 63 minutes, and 60 percent of purchasers were first-time Blackhawks buyers.

Overall Second Place went to Wizards Cherry Blossom Uniform Launch by Monumental Sports and Entertainment, tying the Washington Wizards' City Edition uniform to peak bloom - one of Washington, D.C.'s most recognizable moments. With cherry blossoms, soft pinks and cues inspired by Japanese postcards, the work connected basketball to civic memory and seasonal pride, generating more than 4.8 million impressions, 1.5 million video views and nearly $1 million in reported publicity value.

Overall Third Place went to FC Como Women by COMMUNION for Mercury 13. The independent women's football club needed more than a badge - it needed a world. The identity brought together Lake Como, local craft, fashion, calligraphy and a message of belonging, creating a brand with cultural presence beyond the pitch.

The category winners continued that philosophy, deepening participation and strengthening identity rather than simply making something look better:

• Apparel & Merchandise Graphics: Cangrejeras de Santurce Dominoes by Estudio Interlínea
• Digital & Broadcast Graphics: Capitals Rink Report | Brand & Marketing Design System by Monumental Sports Network
• Digital Products, Platforms & Fan Experience: Ladd Foundation 1616 by Fipp Advertising
• Environmental & Experiential Graphics: University of Kansas Allen Fieldhouse by Multistudio
• Marketing & Promotional Design: Gotham FC 2025 NWSL Playoffs Campaign by Gotham FC
• Team or Event Brand Identity: Seattle Mariners 2025 Postseason by Seattle Mariners

Together, the winners show that sports design is not one style but a relationship between a team and people who care enough to wear it, post it and pass it along.

"When design works in sports, fans do not feel marketed to," added Kaye. "They feel recognized. That recognition is human. It comes from designers who pay attention."

GDUSA congratulates all winners - including more not mentioned here - and invites fans, teams, leagues, agencies and brands to view the full gallery on the American Design Gallery gallery.gdusa.com/sports.

ABOUT GDUSA

Founded in 1963, Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) has been a trusted source of news, insights and inspiration for the creative community for six decades. Beyond its print magazine, the brand includes a website reaching over 50,000 monthly visitors, a digital edition, a newsletter, and nationally recognized competitions spanning graphic, package, web, in-house, and health and wellness design.

Media Contact:
Sasha Kaye-Walsh
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SOURCE Graphic Design USA