Athlete $martPlay

Athlete $martPlay

Completed: Winter 2026

Client: Money Management International

Scope of Work: Brand Design

Athlete $martPlay was created to help student athletes build stronger financial habits while navigating NIL deals, scholarships, contracts, budgeting, and the very strange experience of suddenly becoming marketable at nineteen years old. The branding needed to speak to athletes without falling into either corporate-finance stiffness or generic sports branding with flames shooting off every letter.

I designed the logo and visual identity system to feel energetic, confident, and contemporary while still leaving room for the educational side of the program. The dollar sign integrated into the name became a central visual anchor, but we treated it carefully so it felt playful instead of gimmicky. A lot of sports-finance branding gets painfully “hustle culture” very quickly. I wanted this to feel more grounded than that.