1999 Pan Am Games Identity and Sports Icons

The visual identity for the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg came together through a rare collaborative win. Kevin Braun and I—colleagues at Palmer Jarvis—were awarded different parts of the project through a national design competition. Kevin’s symbol became the official logo of the Games, while my submission was selected to represent the system of 30 sport icons applied across individual event materials—fleshing out the visual grammar of the brand.

Created using ink and brush, the icons were later refined digitally to create a unified system that captured movement in its purest form. Though loosely inspired by early forms of visual storytelling—like the painted figures found on the Canadian Shield—these marks were designed for clarity at speed and scale. Each one had to communicate a distinct sport, while still feeling like part of a larger family.

The icons appeared across programs, signage, merchandise, and venue graphics—and became a major feature of the collector pin series seen throughout the city. For many Winnipeggers, the work was everywhere: on banners, in shop windows, even cereal boxes. It was a highly visible moment in my career—public, bold, and full of energy.

This work also connected to a broader suite of Pan Am-related projects I developed during the lead-up to the Games, including corporate sponsorship campaigns for McDonald’s and MTS.