NBA Changes 2015-16 Season

[VikWings 1,394]

I wonder if the Sixers try a new primary next year. Obviously (hopefully) the basketball itself isn't going anywhere and will be continued to be used most often but there has to be a more creative way they can shoehorn "Philadlephia" into the logo to appease the NBA than with a random red and gray box.

[truepg 628]

Lemme guess - a roundel?

[MDGP 2,755]

I actually like the Wizards new logo, but I'm wondering why we're still calling them the "Wizards".

Because changing a name is a long, expensive process

How is changing the Wizards' name BACK to the Bullets a long, expensive process? Oh, the Wizards name sucks and Bullets is better. Why did we ever change? CTRL + Z.

Easy breezy.

Huh. You make working with licensees, marketers, and lawyers sound so easy.

I guess I can just cancel my Copyrights and Trademarks classes next semester if IP Law is that easy of a process.

[Conrad. 2,458]

All blue ball now?

[truepg 628]

That may be an upgrade. I'd say lose the stars on both sides and this logo might work.

[leopard88 2,953]

The stars on both sides are supposed to represent Maryland and Virginia. However, they also tie in nicely with the DC flag when coupled with the third star. Therefore, I think they work well even though the colors are reversed (white stars on a red field over a white stripe).

That said, I think the Wizards are now officially a team that only has a nickname because they are required to have one (which I say with tongue mostly in cheek).* Their entire identity is now devoid of anything referring to wizards (not that that is necessarily a bad thing) and could honestly work with any nickname. The same was true throughout the Washington Bullets era, so we have come full circle.

* -- In the NBA alone, the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors also fall into this category . . . just off the top of my head.

[leopard88 2,953]

LONG time lurker(like years and years). Now trying to actually become a bigger part of the community haha, so figured I would chime in. I actually really like what the Wizards have done here. Not perfect, and a little sloppy in the execution, but the connotation with the campaign badge is a nice touch. Also, for people saying there is no Wizard imagery anymore, am I the only one that sees a Wizard's wand being made by the Washington Monument and the Star in the basketball? Yes, it might be a bit of a stretch, but I just graduated with my graphic design degree and to me at least it looks pretty intentional. Was just curious what any one else's thoughts are. Am I just seeing things? Or could it be a legitimate design decision? Hoping to have a good time discussing logos and sports with you guys in the future.

I think it is a little bit of a stretch, but it is an interesting observation.

I forget, did Washington remember to pander to blue collar workers in describing their new primary?

It's Washington. They're required to pander to lobbyists and defense contractors.

"The Monument also represents a Lockheed Martin missile aimed directly at the heart of the Axis of Evil . . . "

[JTrainGBR83 187]

FIRST ROUNDEL MATCHUP

[DC in Da House w/o a Doubt 3,594]

All blue ball now?

That might just be a mistake, but I think I actually like it better. When the ball is by itself though, the red portion is fine.

[truepg 628]

The problem with the two stars on the sides is that the monument ball is a fully competent logo on it's own. Adding two more pictorial elements around it creates a mess of sorts.

I'd play around with it but I'm having a hard time finding the alleged PDF style sheet on the Wizards' homepage.

[truepg 628]

All blue ball now?

That might just be a mistake, but I think I actually like it better. When the ball is by itself though, the red portion is fine.

Agreed. That, or another thing I've been thinking about is switching the red and blue of the upper and lower parts of the circle so that the red upper part of the ball contrasts with the blue upper part of the circle.

[keynote 439]

That said, I think the Wizards are now officially a team that only has a nickname because they are required to have one (which I say with tongue mostly in cheek).* Their entire identity is now devoid of anything referring to wizards (not that that is necessarily a bad thing) and could honestly work with any nickname. The same was true throughout the Washington Bullets era, so we have come full circle.

* -- In the NBA alone, the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors also fall into this category . . . just off the top of my head.

Again, the (now absent?) red crescent in the monument logo is a subtle reference to sorcery. But yeah, that's about it.

Also, the Clippers' alts reintroduced nautical flags to the Clippers' identity.

That being said, I'm surprised when people act as if a sports identity has to overtly reference the "gimmick" of their team name. The 49ers don't use any prospector imagery, and the only thing aviation-like about the NY Jets' identity (other than the name of their cheerleaders -- the Flight Crew) is that rarely used secondary with the glowering eyes and brow that kinda sorta form a jet.

As long as the identity is distinct and attractive, it's fine with me.

The problem with the two stars on the sides is that the monument ball is a fully competent logo on it's own. Adding two more pictorial elements around it creates a mess of sorts.

I'd play around with it but I'm having a hard time finding the alleged PDF style sheet on the Wizards' homepage.

They had a dropbox link; it appears to still be active.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/176tjsosoo32j2d/AAD9vmHSLEgDUdBNPt4_SeJYa/Washington_Wizards_logosheet%201516.pdf?dl=0

[truepg 628]

Thank you!

[leopard88 2,953]

That said, I think the Wizards are now officially a team that only has a nickname because they are required to have one (which I say with tongue mostly in cheek).* Their entire identity is now devoid of anything referring to wizards (not that that is necessarily a bad thing) and could honestly work with any nickname. The same was true throughout the Washington Bullets era, so we have come full circle.

* -- In the NBA alone, the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors also fall into this category . . . just off the top of my head.

Again, the (now absent?) red crescent in the monument logo is a subtle reference to sorcery. But yeah, that's about it.

Also, the Clippers' alts reintroduced nautical flags to the Clippers' identity.

That being said, I'm surprised when people act as if a sports identity has to overtly reference the "gimmick" of their team name. The 49ers don't use any prospector imagery, and the only thing aviation-like about the NY Jets' identity (other than the name of their cheerleaders -- the Flight Crew) is that rarely used secondary with the glowering eyes and brow that kinda sorta form a jet.

As long as the identity is distinct and attractive, it's fine with me.

I agree. The overall effect is what is most important. I just pointed it out in this instance because the Wizards were a team that used nickname related imagery extensively in the not-too-distant past (e.g., wizard/crescent logo, dc crescent logo, wizardy (?) font, etc.).

[the admiral 26,292]

I forget, did Washington remember to pander to blue collar workers in describing their new primary?

Washington prefers to pretend that it has no blue-collar workers.

[pluggerplugger1 74]

https://twitter.com/sportslogosnet/status/588835558581002241

^ From Chris himself. The Wizards have made it official that they are switching to the new roundel logo effective immediately for the playoffs. Odd for an in-season change, no?

[TheRicSlick 844]

https://twitter.com/sportslogosnet/status/588835558581002241

^ From Chris himself. The Wizards have made it official that they are switching to the new roundel logo effective immediately for the playoffs. Odd for an in-season change, no?

Not really odd because it took effect at the end of the regular season... like most changes do.

[officeglenn 2,192]

Nike is reportedly close to taking over the NBA apparel deal, with both the swoosh and and the Jordan logo potentially appearing on uniforms.

[jrodsep 567]

Nike is reportedly close to taking over the NBA apparel deal, with both the swoosh and and the Jordan logo potentially appearing on uniforms.

As long as the ads/apparel maker are as small as the ones from the all star weekend is gonna be fine.

[SCalderwood 343]

https://twitter.com/sportslogosnet/status/588835558581002241

^ From Chris himself. The Wizards have made it official that they are switching to the new roundel logo effective immediately for the playoffs. Odd for an in-season change, no?

Not really odd because it took effect at the end of the regular season... like most changes do.

I don't think that is true. I would say that most official changes take effect during the off-season, not at the end of the regular season and before the post-season.

That being said, even though it is odd for an in-season change, it won't really affect anything except the logo TV stations and other media use. Even the Wizards TV network (Comcast Sportsnet) never uses the bearded Wizards logo, and I don't think they've used the bearded logo, in any fashion, since 2011. The bearded Wizard logo is nowhere to be found on the uniforms or court, so again, this change will barely be "felt" in a lot of ways.