Nick Nava Designs

Race day ready. 🔥

Nothing beats seeing a design come to life on apparel.

This custom Turkey Trot Jackpot 5K shirt was created for a casino employee event and designed to stand out with bold colors, high-energy graphics, and plenty of personality.

Who would rock this shirt?

Every great race deserves a medal worth chasing. 🏅

One of my favorite parts of this project was transforming the event mascot into a collectible finisher medal.

Designed with bold casino-inspired details, metallic finishes, and enough personality to make participants proud to cross the finish line.

This is the kind of swag that earns a permanent spot on the shelf.

One of my favorite parts of branding is throwing out as many ideas as possible before narrowing in on a final direction. Sometimes the strongest concepts come from unexpected sketches, experiments, or even ideas that almost didn’t make the cut.

Branding isn’t about creating one logo. It’s about building a full visual system that feels unique, memorable, and connected to the experience. Especially in the casino and entertainment world where every detail matters.

A few more concept explorations from the vault.

Working on brand concepts for Gila River Resorts & Casinos is one of the most challenging and fulfilling parts of being a designer. A lot of people only see the final logo, but the real magic happens in the exploration phase.

Some marks work. Some completely miss. But every direction helps shape the final identity and pushes the brand closer to something memorable. Designing is all about testing ideas, narrowing the vision, and building a mark with purpose.

Here’s a small sneak peek into the process behind the process.