NBA x NIKE Redesign Project (MIAMI HEAT CITY EDITION added 1/2)

[kimball]

16 hours ago, Hoopladawg87 said:

The informed mock-up @Conrad. provided for Utah's upcoming fourth uniform is polarizing to say the least. While it introduces a never-before-seen design style to the NBA, it seemingly does so at the cost of ignoring the team's entire identity and brand. I personally think I'll like the uniform when it's officially unveiled, but it could also very well be terrible -- either the first time we see it or when we look back on it years from now. It isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a fun and interesting concept regardless.

 

The sunset theme lends itself well to the inclusion of the Tequila Sunrise pattern, but yellow-orange-red transition is more suggestive of plain fire rather than a full sunset to me. The black side panels feel like oddly forced borders, while the white wordmarks on the yellow background lack contrast. Also, nothing about the entire design - from color to arrangement - feels reminiscent of Utah nor the Jazz.

 

The Tequila Sunrise pattern is retained in a slightly condensed space, still invoking the sunset theme while also creating the silhouette of Utah's mountains. The colors have been altered to somewhat coincide with this random picture of a Utah sunset I found on Google Images, while the black base is a coincidental nod to the Jazz being BFBS pioneers in the NBA during the late '90s. The mountains come directly from their logo - which also appeared on their home and away jerseys in the mid- to late-'90s - and the wordmark and numeral typeface comes from their recent green alternate jerseys. I want to include some non-sensicle jargon about how the white wordmarks and numerals are representative of snow in the mountainous regions of Utah, but to be completely truthful I just thought it looked best and didn't compete with the Tequila Sunrise pattern. 

 

Anyways, I'm just kind of rambling at this point, so here's my concept....please let me know your thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions. Thanks!

 

 

 

Utah Jazz City Edition Jerseys

 

I love the idea, but it looks very Denver Nuggets-ish. I think different shades of blue or purple would be more Jazzy? But, I love the template and idea! LOVE!

[iamdaviinci]

On 11/10/2017 at 10:59 AM, kimball said:

 

I love the idea, but it looks very Denver Nuggets-ish. I think different shades of blue or purple would be more Jazzy? But, I love the template and idea! LOVE!

 

Thanks a lot for the kind words and input! I didn't see the Denver Nuggets' colors at all during my process, but ever since you've pointed it out it's been hard to unsee it. And aside from the colors, it's also a lot more similar to the Nuggets' rainbow skyline jerseys than I realized!

 

Anyways, I experimented with the color palette to avoid the Denver Nuggets comparison while also reintroducing Utah's beloved purple and better highlighting the mountain shading. I admittedly see a Phoenix Suns jersey now given the colors, but I think the sunset effect looks a lot smoother with the shades of purple creating less contrast than the shades of blue. 

 

Please let me know your thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions on the updated version -- thanks!

 

 

 

Utah Jazz City Edition Jerseys

[FinsUp1214]

7 hours ago, Hoopladawg87 said:

 

Thanks a lot for the kind words and input! I didn't see the Denver Nuggets' colors at all during my process, but ever since you've pointed it out it's been hard to unsee it. And aside from the colors, it's also a lot more similar to the Nuggets' rainbow skyline jerseys than I realized!

 

Anyways, I experimented with the color palette to avoid the Denver Nuggets comparison while also reintroducing Utah's beloved purple and better highlighting the mountain shading. I admittedly see a Phoenix Suns jersey now given the colors, but I think the sunset effect looks a lot smoother with the shades of purple creating less contrast than the shades of blue. 

 

Please let me know your thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions on the updated version -- thanks!

 

 

 

Utah Jazz City Edition Jerseys

 

As a Jazz fan, I love this a whole lot more than the supposed real thing. Excellent idea and execution.

[_DietDrPepper_]

My one suggestion, mountains arent that sharp and pointy, it looks to me like someone ripped it rather than mountains

[iamdaviinci]

9 hours ago, BellaSpurs said:

My one suggestion, mountains arent that sharp and pointy, it looks to me like someone ripped it rather than mountains

 

I don't disagree with you! That was definitely something I struggled with throughout the process. 

 

After the Conrad's mock-up came out and the general Moab theme was discussed, I started researching the area and it's terrain. The first thing I tried to incorporate was Delicate Arch -- specifically, I planned to put the wordmark inside the silhouette and the numerals inside the negative space. As beautiful as the actual formation is, I couldn't find a presentable way to translate it onto the uniform. 

 

The next thing I tried to incorporate was The Organ, also found in Moab, Utah. The formation actually lends itself pretty well to placing the wordmark above it and the numerals in the negative space to the left, and overall it looks much more presentable than the aforementioned Delicate Arch idea -- but I think the silhouette is too detailed and also not identifiable enough to justify incorporating. 

 

So, working backwards, I settled on the mountains from the team's logo -- not necessarily perfect, but with it appearing in the team's branding it at least prevents these jerseys from being a complete stretch!

 

I'm definitely curious if you have any ideas or suggestions regarding the improvement of the mountains, though. Ideally, the goal is to keep them simple - which I think they currently are - but also to make them look as much like mountains as possible - which I don't think they currently do. Thanks for your input -- any additional thoughts are greatly appreciated!

[iamdaviinci]

Here's yet another black alternate I've been working with recently -- one for the Toronto Raptors inspired by a mock-up by @the_Raptors_king over on the Sports Logos board.

 

While I was admittedly raised at least in part by Drake's music, and I don't mind the OVO-themed alternates they previously donned for Drake Night, I don't think this is the uniform for that. It just feels like they're forcing the color palette onto an entirely independent design. Also, simply using "NORTH" as the wordmark is questionable at best. However, I do like the uniqueness of the full chevron, though it feels wildly inconsistent with it being just a singular chevron.

 

Everyone seems determined to bring back the purple, but I don't think the color palette is Toronto's biggest issue in terms of branding -- their colors are fine, but their entire identity is dull and boring. The typeface is generic, the raptor motif is underutilized, and their uniforms mostly feel as though they could belong to any number of teams. I think most visuals incorporating the raptor can look tacky, though, so I'll give them a pass on that....but they still desperately need more character and originality.

 

I've reintroduced their standard color palette, embraced the double chevrons along with the full team name, and incorporated a heavily sterilized version of the 'WE THE NORTH' typeface. It certainly makes for a unique design -- almost as if an entire jersey's design was inspired by the side panels of their Vince Carter-era away jerseys.

 

It's intended to embrace the team's visual history while also acknowledging their city's fan base. Hopefully it isn't too busy and/or cluttered.

 

Please let me know your thoughts -- any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

Toronto Raptors City Edition Jerseys

[iamdaviinci]

After some reconsidering, I've created a second version of my Toronto Raptors City Edition concept. The more I looked at the original concept, the more cluttered it felt with the full team name over the double chevrons. I still kind of like it in a weird way, but scaling things back a bit feels much more appropriate for this era of uniform design in the NBA.

 

The full team name wordmark has been removed to emphasize the double chevrons and provide a cleaner feel to the design. Consequently, a 'WE THE NORTH' wordmark has been placed on the upper left chest area -- this serves to further establish the City Edition jersey's ties to the Toronto fan base while also balancing the design against the numerals on the upper right chest area. 

 

 

 

Toronto Raptors City Edition Jerseys - v2.0

[Carolingian Steamroller]

Great job on the Raptors. 

 

Fun fact: Both Minneapolis and Portland are further North than Toronto despite the Raptors' "We the North" slogan. 

[kimball]

On 11/12/2017 at 12:31 PM, Hoopladawg87 said:

 

Thanks a lot for the kind words and input! I didn't see the Denver Nuggets' colors at all during my process, but ever since you've pointed it out it's been hard to unsee it. And aside from the colors, it's also a lot more similar to the Nuggets' rainbow skyline jerseys than I realized!

 

Anyways, I experimented with the color palette to avoid the Denver Nuggets comparison while also reintroducing Utah's beloved purple and better highlighting the mountain shading. I admittedly see a Phoenix Suns jersey now given the colors, but I think the sunset effect looks a lot smoother with the shades of purple creating less contrast than the shades of blue. 

 

Please let me know your thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions on the updated version -- thanks!

 

 

 

Utah Jazz City Edition Jerseys

 

YES!!!    THIS! Great job man!

[itsmb8]

13 hours ago, Hoopladawg87 said:

After some reconsidering, I've created a second version of my Toronto Raptors City Edition concept. The more I looked at the original concept, the more cluttered it felt with the full team name over the double chevrons. I still kind of like it in a weird way, but scaling things back a bit feels much more appropriate for this era of uniform design in the NBA.

 

The full team name wordmark has been removed to emphasize the double chevrons and provide a cleaner feel to the design. Consequently, a 'WE THE NORTH' wordmark has been placed on the upper left chest area -- this serves to further establish the City Edition jersey's ties to the Toronto fan base while also balancing the design against the numerals on the upper right chest area. 

 

 

 

Toronto Raptors City Edition Jerseys - v2.0

 

It kills me to say this, but IMHO I think this might be your first miss this entire series.  Referencing the Toronto All-Star Game logo, I think including the CN Tower would be a nice feature to incorporate into Toronto's Community Uniform.  And maybe not on the jersey per say, but I think a Canadian leaf would be almost a given.  For my own tastes I think the double chevrons are best suited on the sides of the jersey instead of front and center, but I do see your thinking and what you were going for, as how the chevrons point north which ties directly into the team slogan.  

[iamdaviinci]

10 hours ago, itsmb8 said:

 

It kills me to say this, but IMHO I think this might be your first miss this entire series.  Referencing the Toronto All-Star Game logo, I think including the CN Tower would be a nice feature to incorporate into Toronto's Community Uniform.  And maybe not on the jersey per say, but I think a Canadian leaf would be almost a given.  For my own tastes I think the double chevrons are best suited on the sides of the jersey instead of front and center, but I do see your thinking and what you were going for, as how the chevrons point north which ties directly into the team slogan.  

 

I really appreciate all of your feedback! The full double chevron design is definitely unconventional -- and as you said, much better suited for the side panels. I did start sketching out a separate alternate design centered around the maple leaf, though I'm still trying to nail down many of the other details....I have a few other concepts nearing completion, but hopefully I'll get that one sorted out and posted relatively soon!

 

I'm interested in your thoughts on incorporating the CN Tower into a uniform. I think the All-Star Game logo you mentioned was fantastic, and I've seen a handful of primary and/or secondary logo concepts employing it as the center line of a basketball....but I struggle to see how it could translate effectively to a uniform. I didn't mind the sublimated skyline on the back of the All-Star Game uniforms, but I generally try to avoid skylines and the rest of Toronto's feels underwhelming relative to the CN Tower.

 

I suppose the most logical placement would be the side panels, a la the Brooklyn Nets' Brooklyn Bridge City Edition jerseys. If you have any other ideas on that please feel free to toss them my way.

 

Thanks for the input!

[itsmb8]

9 hours ago, Hoopladawg87 said:

I'm interested in your thoughts on incorporating the CN Tower into a uniform. I think the All-Star Game logo you mentioned was fantastic, and I've seen a handful of primary and/or secondary logo concepts employing it as the center line of a basketball....but I struggle to see how it could translate effectively to a uniform. I didn't mind the sublimated skyline on the back of the All-Star Game uniforms, but I generally try to avoid skylines and the rest of Toronto's feels underwhelming relative to the CN Tower.

 

I suppose the most logical placement would be the side panels, a la the Brooklyn Nets' Brooklyn Bridge City Edition jerseys. If you have any other ideas on that please feel free to toss them my way.

 

Thanks for the input!

 

I definitely agree the best place for it would most likely be on the side panels or as a giant sublimation on the back.  What could be also a possibility, is maybe making the wordmark "Toronto" flat rather than curved and having the CN tower serve as the vertical line in the first "T" with an outline separating it from the horizontal line making it easily recognizable, and maybe replacing the last "O" with a Canadian leaf in the wordmark?  And then on the back maybe a sublimated "We The North" script?  Not sure how that would completely look, really just a random thought I had off the top of my head.

[iamdaviinci]

I spent some time experimenting with @itsmb8's suggestion re: incorporating the CN Tower and/or maple leaf imagery into the Raptors alternate(s), but couldn't strike a presentable balance. I have a handful of different drafts saved, though, so if/when I piece that one together we'll revisit it.

 

Speaking of having different drafts saved, I've got more different drafts of black alternates for the Celtics than would be reasonable to post. The general layout of the design is singular, but I've tinkered with the striping patterns, color balance, and lower-level details more than I care to admit. Fortunately, I've distilled all of my drafts down to the two versions that felt best to me.

 

The Celtics' black Statement Edition jersey isn't overly thrilling, but it should look just fine from a high-level perspective while watching them play. The solid green collar and armhole trim is growing on me despite my initial hate for it, but the solid green side panels with minimal contrast make it feel like one of those bootleg replica jerseys they used to have at Walmart. The solid green collar and armhole trim, along with the solid green waistband, is enough -- leave the side panels plain black and add some detailing to the shorts instead.

 

The biggest issues for me are the wordmark and numerals. If you're going to put the Celtics in black - which I know is a point of contention for many - you really have to think outside of the box, you know what I'm saying? Black lends itself well to silhouettes, so instead of their typical wordmark and numerals we've opted for multiple variations of the team's primary logo featuring the silhouette of the leprechaun. Placing the numbers on the upper left side of the chest helps create a bit of movement as your eye moves from the leprechaun to the ball and on up.

 

One version contains the aforementioned solid green collar and armhole trim, full team name wordmarks inside the roundel, and solid green numerals stroked by white; the other version contains a green/black/white trim pattern, no wordmarks within the roundel, and solid green numerals stroked by black and then white (that I didn't realize until much later are nearly identical to the Bulls' Statement Edition jersey trim pattern and numeral stroking).

 

I'm undecided on which version I prefer, but any thoughts and opinions on that as well as whether or not this is an upgrade or downgrade from their actual Statement Edition jerseys would be greatly appreciated....thanks!

 

 

 

Boston Celtics Statement Edition Jerseys

 

 

 

Boston Celtics Statement Edition Jerseys v2.0

[Djruggs]

Second one is dope

[Krz]

Agreed @Djruggs

[pHiL Kizer]

Second one with the first one's chest logo

[iamdaviinci]

17 hours ago, pHiL Kizer said:

Second one with the first one's chest logo

 

Thanks for the feedback! I had that combination drafted, but in narrowing it down didn't like it because I also had the swoosh and ad patch green on it for some reason. I'll rework things and post that version hopefully later today!

 

Also, here are a couple random concepts I've had finished-ish, but haven't posted....with Conrad's second info release coming sometime today, I thought I'd put these out here before I forgot and/or to revisit them later.

 

 

 

The Magic need some kind of a "black magic" alternate, right? Something a little intimidating as well as magic-related. I'm not completely sold on the typeface I used, and I think the numerals are too big, but this is roughly what I had in mind.

 

Orlando Magic "Black Magic" Statement Edition Jerseys

 

 

 

The Spurs need something Alamo-related for their City Edition jerseys, and their silver Statement Edition jerseys just don't do it for me. They need something more inspired.

 

San Antonio Spurs City Edition Jerseys

[Krz]

I would wear that magic one

[pHiL Kizer]

That Spurs jerseys is vicious!!  Wooooo! 

[iamdaviinci]

Here's a concept for the Dallas Mavericks I more or less made up as I went along, and have now reached a point where I could use some input. I'm not sure if it's an Icon or a Statement Edition jersey, but the end goal is to create a set of three or four jerseys based around this new identity concept that is consistent with Nike's style so far during its initial takeover as the official outfitter of the NBA. So far, I like some aspects and am very skeptical of others.

 

The Mavericks' current identity is one of if not the most stale in the League, and as Dirk's career winds down and Dennis Smith, Jr. takes the torch a rebrand is very much in order. The typeface and uniform template have to go, though the double blues can stay -- at least in some capacity. However, the team needs a fresh start, so we'll inject green back into the color palette and give them a clean and updated typeface with a slight old school groove to it.

 

I began by conducting research, with the obvious starting point being a Google search for "what is a maverick" that yielded this inspiring quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger. So with this quote as well as Nike's aesthetic in mind, I want to create something that's different, but with minimal elements. Although I never loved the Diddy-designed green alternates, some of the nuts and bolts are worth keeping -- mainly the color palette and at least a little bit of the trim pattern. I think the vibrant color palette is refreshing in the all-blue-everything uniform landscape of today's NBA, while the solid-color collar and armhole trim maintain a clean look.

 

After that, I've struggled. The Mavericks' current uniform template has long overstayed its welcome, and historically there are no unique uniform elements to revert back to in regards to the side panels. The design I've been working with has been a sublimated pattern of that which appeared on Bret Maverick's waistcoat in the television series Maverick -- that show is where the team originally got its nickname, and James Garner - who played Bret Maverick - was a member of the franchise's original ownership group. 

 

I can't tell if I like the pattern or if it works or if the inspiration behind the design of it even makes any sense whatsoever. So that's where I'm at and why I've come to you all. Any and all feedback as well as thoughts and suggestions on how to make this better and/or more consistent with Arnold Schwarzenegger's aforementioned definition of a maverick would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

 

Dallas Mavericks Concept Jersey