ORIGIN™: TYR SPORT
FIRST-GEN MOVEMENT CAMPAIGN
COMPANY
TYR Sport is a California-based performance brand rooted in swimwear, now expanding across all terrains. Known for grit, discipline, and tradition-defying athletes.MISSION
Design a campaign for TYR Sport that empowers first-generation athletes by reframing struggle as legacy.Athletic campaigns often spotlight prodigies, but overlook the firsts: those who are first in their family, community, or culture to even enter the arena. First-gen athletes face pressure, invisibility, and burnout, yet no brand speaks directly to them.
Until now.
PROCESS
I scoped this as a cross-channel campaign with a 3-week self-imposed sprint window, using only organic social research (Reddit, TikTok, athletic forums) and no paid testing tools.I then scanned through for unfiltered stories from athletes with no blatant legacy to inherit.
The common thread came out to be that they were never simply competing; they were translating struggle into momentum. I explored creative directions ranging from underdog tropes to full-on legacy rewrites to test tone and concept across various cultural lenses.
SOLUTION
Origin™ is an unapologetic campaign honoring the athletes who build from scratch. Through storytelling-drenched apparel drops, cinematic ads, and influencer collabs, I designed a movement - not just a moment.“You didn’t inherit this. You built it.”
IMPACT
I ran informal one-on-one Zoom sessions and anonymous feedback polls with a dozen self-identified first-gen athletes across track, martial arts, and swimming to validate tone, tagline resonance, and key visual assets.As a result, this project sparked identity-driven engagement and pride, proven through concept validation sessions with real first-gen athletes. The final output included a cross-platform launch, full-video commercial campaigns, and billboard design.
And the takeaway?
Strategy grabs attention, but storytelling earns loyalty.
A yearbook page-style collage of where we all came from.
How we originated.
Why our legacy began.
Family pictures, photo album textures, heirlooms, the smooth sheen of yearbook paper, handwritten letters, historic textile patterns, early stage triumphs, and high school sports.
Red is added for the heat of your fight. Your aggressive fortitude. The elicitation of your urgency for change.
Gold creates accent, as the start-to-finish process of refining gold is as transformative as you are. The shade boldly displays rewarding victory after struggle.
Bright, electric green steps in as loud, persistent growth.
And finally, black depicts your dramatic, authoritative vigor.