Brands that perform as well as the people behind them.
From a new strength studio to a 140-year-old GAA club, people judge you on how you look long before they see you in action: the shopfront, the jersey, the Instagram grid, the website they check on the way home. I build sport and fitness brands that look as good as the work behind them.
Sport brands I've worked with
Great coaches often look like every other gym.
Black and gold, a flexed arm, a kettlebell, a slogan about grind. Most fitness branding borrows the same few ideas, so the coach who really looks after people looks no different from the chain down the road. That makes it hard to charge what the coaching is worth.
Axis Strength
A small-group strength studio with an opening date that wasn't going to move. We started with what members would actually notice in a session, then built the mark, signage, website, launch posts and the workout screens members train to around it, so Axis could sign founding members before the doors opened.
Read the Axis story
Sean Kennedy Fitness
Sean had spent years building a loyal client base, but his old branding made him look like every other trainer. The new brand speaks to the quality of his coaching and gives him the confidence to grow.
Read the Sean Kennedy story
Sport for Business
Sport for Business connects leading companies with Irish sport, so its brand has to hold its own beside the big-name sponsors and partners it works with. With my team at Red Man Media, I replaced a dated stencil wordmark with an SB monogram and a magenta and purple palette that works everywhere from an exhibition wall to a social icon.
Read the Sport for Business story
Geraldines P. Moran GAA Club
The club's crest had grown too detailed to use well across teams, kit and social media. I simplified it while keeping the heritage symbols members care about, so it now looks just as strong on a jersey as it does on a phone screen.
See the Geraldines crest
Racing and betting
Earlier work from my agency days at Red Man Media, for some of the biggest names in Irish sport.
Fairyhouse Racecourse
Campaigns for the Easter Festival, home of the Irish Grand National, the Winter Festival and the Summer Series. Brochures, a sponsorship pack, press ads in Irish and UK papers, race card ads and web banners.
Horse Racing Ireland
Campaigns for HRI and GoRacing.ie, including a "Go Racing for Free" promotion timed around Cheltenham, a winter mailer, and posters and ads for the Racegoers Consultative Forum.
BoyleSports
The logo and website design for BoyleSports VIP, plus Ryder Cup 2012 landing pages for desktop and mobile.
A fitness brand works hard.
It goes on the shopfront, the kit, the wall behind the rig, the booking app and a dozen Instagram posts a week. So I design it to hold up in all of those places, not just in a presentation.
- Talks to beginners and regulars: welcoming enough for a first session, serious enough for someone training for a race
- Looks right on kit: versions that print cleanly on t-shirts, hoodies and towels
- Easy to post with: social templates you can fill in yourself between sessions
- Has a reason behind it: built on how you coach, so it's yours and nobody else's
What you get
Every project starts with strategy: who you want training with you, what makes your sessions different, and who else they could choose.
- Brand strategy
- Name, if you need one
- Logo and identity
- Shopfront and window graphics
- Gym wall graphics
- Kit and merchandise
- Social launch templates
- Website
- Brand guidelines
Common questions
When's the right time to start on the brand?
If you're opening a gym or launching a club, event or sports business, start as soon as you have a rough launch date, so the brand is ready before the signs go up, the kit is ordered or memberships go on sale. If you're moving premises, starting a new season or your brand has fallen behind what you've built, start before the change goes public. A new space or a new offer is the best excuse you'll get to show people what you've become.
I'm a personal trainer, not a gym. Is this for me?
Yes. Sean Kennedy Fitness started as one coach with a loyal client base. A clear brand helps you stand apart from every other trainer and charge what your coaching is worth.
Can you work with my sign maker and kit supplier?
Yes. You get production-ready files and clear guidelines, and I'm happy to talk to your suppliers directly so the finished shopfront and kit match the design.
Do you work outside Dublin?
Yes. I'm based in Dún Laoghaire and work with clients all over Ireland. Most of the work happens over video calls, with in-person meetings when they help.
Club, gym or sports business ready to raise its game? Let's talk.
A 30-minute call about where you are and what your brand needs to do. No pitch. If you're not ready to talk yet, ask for a free review of your current brand instead.