nba NBA x NIKE Concepts | Denver Nuggets 12.29.20

[Tore 358]

To begin I hope you and all of your families are doing well during these strange times. 

 

I usually post during the last week of every month, but I have been working on concepts for a different league, more specifically the Norwegian basketball league (BLNO). This has been a bit more time consuming than I thought as I have had to make a brand assessment for each team as there isnt as much history and defined identities as NBA teams. 
A couple of days ago I went through my NBA concept maps and I noticed that my Philadelphia 76ers concepts looked pretty much finished so I thought I should post them. 

All in all I think the Sixers have one of the best uniform designs in the NBA. The current editions are already very much all time classics and it amazes me how they were almost 'there' with the design back in the 70s. My take is a bit different. The basis for these concepts is the 2017 City Edition - it's that simple. I really liked the simplicity of the City uniform, the elegance and understated design. Knowing that the stars and stripes are iconic, the Association and Icon Editions might be borderline sacrilege to Sixers fans. However the Statement Edition has stars and stripes.

My main intention was to create a minimalistic and easy design which could easily work during the 80s as today. I wanted the Association and Icon Editions to be like veteran cars, if that makes any sense(?) The Boston Celtics was a big inspiration. 
The wordmark was a really nice change and kept in tune with the revolutionary identity of the Sixers. The wordmark in use on my concepts is the Inoxida font but slightly edited. On the Association I used the parchment colour as outline, which gives a warm contrast to the blue. I tried to apply a soft blue outline to the Icon wordmark to make it warmer, more classic look. 

 

The front numerals are put to the left(right) - dont know what the english word is for this alignment. Whatever it is I think it works very well to the whole of the uniform. On the back the numeral is perfectly aligned - however I've always had problems with the size of the numerals compared to the jersey size. I hope the back numerals arent too big. 

As usual, I prefer the team name on the association edition and for the "away" I prefer the city name. As the 13 stars are on the sides of the shorts, I had to use a different logo on the waistband - the cracked liberty bell. The inspiration came from the amazing Gadsden flag-logo they use(d?). Above the jock tag it says "Philadelphia Maneto" in gold which mirrors the now current City Edition with "Pass and Stow". 
I put the 76ers logo on the sides of the shorts and combined with the logo font it gave this vintage NBA feel which I really liked. This was actually one of the first things I did as I didnt want to go with the stars and stripes-direction. 

The Icon Edition is exactly the same as the association, which shouldnt be a suprise and definitely not a revolution. 

For the Statement Edition I went full stars and stripes. Changed to white wordmark and numerals, with blue stroke instead of keeping it the other way. The jock tag says "Join, or Die", which is probably a bit too hardcore for the NBA but it hits home. 
Changed the player name from blue to white.

 

The colours were an issue for me. I try to benchmark different sites and compare them to high res images. For the Sixers it was really an issue, so I used their media guide as colour reference for these concepts. 
I have made a City Edition but it's not as polished as these three uniforms, so I will refrain from posting it untill I am content with it. 

 

*Updated the unis - forgot to add ventilation patterns on the front numerals* 

 

These uniform concepts are by no means revolutionary, but hopefully fun and different. Thank you for looking! 

 

Philadelphia 76ers Association Edition Uniform Concept

 

Philadelphia 76ers Icon Edition Uniform Concept

 

Philadelphia 76ers Statement Edition Uniform Concept

 

All comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated! And most importantly - stay safe!
 

[bcon_731 203]

@Tore If you could take the 76ers uni into the any direction where would you take it? say with what you made your create something new? Feel like the sixers are difficult to go left field with, but those black/red/gold unis did push it. But what would you do? 

[Tore 358]

@bcon_731 - Good question! I really feel the Sixers has it nailed as they are now. The side panels and stars, the balance and cleaness make them instant classics. I would go as far as to argue they are amongst the greatest NBA uniforms ever. Timeless and classic is what at least I want, especially for a team with the pedigree as the Sixers. The same goes for the Bulls, Celtics and Lakers. It was a great decision to update the unis in '15. 

For some reason I feel teams without championships are easier to experiment with. And I also feel there is a different pedigree amongst the NBA teams. Some teams should never venture too far from their core attributes. To be honest I never liked the Iverson-era unis - they are cool but I think nostalgia plays a big factor. I definitely would not want the Sixers to revert back to those. 

The whole Sixers identity is in the name. It's a homage to the birth of a nation, the colonies and the american flag. I've mentioned my disdain for the oversaturation of certain colours in the NBA several times - red and blue, or blue and yellow or blue, red and yellow - but there are a few teams who's colour scheme is very much paramount to their brand. The Sixers is blue, white and red. They should always stay blue, white and red - just like the Celtics should always stay green and white. Of course the Celtics use gold and black as well, the Sixers use parchment and grey - which is fine. But I would never re-introduce black to the colour scheme as it is unnatural. 

 

I probably wouldn't do anything different than what I've already done, or so I think right now. 

[bcon_731 203]

@Tore Is there a team off hand you can think of that is in dire need of a stable identity? 

[Tore 358]

@bcon_731 - First team that pops into my mind is the Los Angeles Clippers. As a matter of fact I think the Clippers should rebrand, maybe even rename. Another team is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their rebrand was a giant miss, at least to me. The Cavaliers and Pistons should probably do some rework as well. One team I really think should rebrand is the Thunder. The city edition from 2018 was exactly what the Thunder needs to be(come). 
I think it's important to understand the state, the city, even the country the team resides. An important part is to try to discern the city and how very special it truly is, and how it affects the identity and values of the specific team. Los Angeles Clippers has always been the ugly, little step-brother to the Lakers. Now is the time to become the scary step-brother instead. If there ever was a time to ride the Clippers hype and enthusiasm it is definitely now.

Which team do you think is need of a consistent brand and identity?
 

[bcon_731 203]

@Tore I totally agree, I thought after Donald Sterling was ousted, I thought they were going to do an overhaul on everything. They teased that nice color combo of the baby blue and orange, it looked smooth. But that blocky font is a big miss. Either lean into the nautical theme with the flags and weathered colors, or just do something new. Just making a black uni when your palette is r/b/w is just lazy, imo. Intially I thought Minnesota had a neat idea with the color blocking but that neon green color is overwhelming to look at. As a brand stand point, alot of the jerseys being put out from Nike have been big swings and majority misses, the NFL is a big example. Some teams just need a better unis, the Knicks, Kings, and the Suns. But an entire overhaul, the Rockets. They're just another example of a team that just wears a black jersey because they can. There was a red uni their wore 2 seasons ago, that had 2 shades of red, and they leaned into the "Red Planet" idea. Good opportinity for them to have a rocket as their logo, and have rocket, space, planet theme unis. 

[Tore 358]

@bcon_731 I agree 100%. I've been working on a Clippers concept for some time now, several revisions and different directions. I've never seem to be content with either Clippers concepts. 
I rank the Knicks as one of the classical NBA teams and therefore I think they should just go as easy and timeless as possible with their uniforms. Blue, orange and white is a terrific colour scheme. For the Suns I think they adopt the native american heritage, which is what I want for the Thunder. I've got some radical Sacramento Kings unis in my folder which I will certainly continue to work on as I think their unis today are too lifeless and stale. 

Just wearing black because a team can is lazy and uninventive. That said I dont really mind the Rockets going red, white and black. It's not exciting by any means but it works. And one has to remember that nostalgia is a two-edged sword. I will always want the Rockets to be ketchup and mustard, and several older Rockets fans want those unis back just because they identify those specific colours with a certain era. The younger generations either dont know about Olajuwon or doesnt really care. The same could be said about the Raptors.
This said I must say that I actually liked the double red uni very much. It was different but still seemed to fit somehow. 
 

To touch more on the Clippers - Conrad Burry just made a fantastic concept based on the "almost rebrand" of the 90s. I dont know if green and orange would work as well today as the proposed rebrand was very much a product of the times and the 90s were extreme in branding. 

Clippers should definitely rebrand and adopt new colours as well. 56% of NBA uses blue in the colour scheme. Thats way too high. Red follows with 43% and then yellow with 40%. I dont like this trend at all. Thats not to say that the Clippers should be orange, purple and green, could do perhaps a combination. Going San Diego with blue and orange isnt a bad look, but it's used, by both the Thunder and Knicks. Maybe teal of sorts would be cool? I dont know. I just hope that Ballmer updates the franschise, from branding, name and unis. I for one really like the Buffalo uniform and wouldnt mind if they based a rebrand on those colours and looks. 

 

[bcon_731 203]

@Tore Apart of me thinks that alot of the jersey releases are made just to make money, nothing innovative like you said. Like the Celtics and Lakers, their so iconic theres no need for them to. I probably sound like an old man yelling at the clouds, but if you can bring anything new to the table dont, but i also feel thats Nike's fault as well. Take a look what theyve done for the NFL, alot of those jersey were big misses, but figured it out with the Cleveland Browns, and my personal opinion the Rams. But it took awhile for them to get their is what Im saying. Adidas had some interesting ideas when they were the outfitter, other than the sleeved jerseys. Phoenix had that charcoal and orange uni, with the old timey script, just as an example. It feels like Nike makes things that they can company with a sneaker release. 

Back to what you were saying about the Clippers, at this point their in a good place. They can either lean hard in to the nautical theme or just make something new. I did see that Conrad piece, with that orange and teal uni. I know I said I wasnt a fan of black jerseys but they one in particular was nice, especially the collar detail and word mark. But that design for sure is a product of its time, just looking at it reminds me of starter jackets. 

Now the Knicks, I feel like the reason why I insist they need new unis is probably because they need new everything else, owner, GM, coach, the list goes on. I did think those Latrell Sprewell era unis for sure had their own look. They could of took that uni into a black set as well, for sure I was one of those ppl shouting for it once Melo signed with them but now something about their unis is missing something, theyre just too bland. 

[Tore 358]

@bcon_731 It very much is a money game for Nike, after all it is very much a business and we sportslogos fans kinda wanted this. You are not yelling at all, you are singing to the choir. 
The sleeved abominations are best left forgotten.

There are always exceptions to the rule, and there are somethings better left untouched. I agree with your sentiments about either nautical theme or scrap it and full rebrand. I am leaning more and more towards the latter. 

The issue with the Knicks is very much the same as every other bad NBA team. Nike's agenda is to make money and who can blame them. In regards to the Knicks and the black side panels, I am kinda on the edge. They look kinda cool but at the same time it's the easy route. To me the Knicks should never deviate from the blue, orange and white. They are amongst the most famous teams in the world - hell, even here in Oslo I sometimes see people wearing a Knicks cap. The brand is so well known that even people who couldnt care less about basketball wears their brand proudly.
The Knicks were one of the first team concepts I made with when I started out creating concepts. I kept it traditional and conservative because it is one of the oldest teams in NBA. If I am not mistaken, only the Celtics and Knicks has never been relocated. That is very special, and New York is a very special place. The colours are of great importance as it's from the Prince flag of the Netherlands. My City Edition idea was an obvious idea which I've noticed has taken on - a homage to the original colonist settlers of Manhattan - the dutch. The wordmark says "Nieuw Amsterdam", which is kinda cool. Anyways, bland isnt always bad. And black isnt always bad either. I've used a lot of black in my concepts because it's the easiest route. Sometimes easier is actually better too, but often I feel it's more lazy. Especially if it isnt in the teams colour scheme.  
I might revisit the Knicks or simply translate them to my newest template which would make them easier to visualize.

[bcon_731 203]

@Tore Point taken, I get where youre coming from. When the Knicks chose to go with the black panels it was the 90s and black was the edgy thing to do.  I just feel like if the Knicks were one of the original teams they should be so bland with their sets. They had those city jerseys with the checkered side panels, I liked alot. If it were to be taken any direction Id wanna see it go that way. Two shades of blue and orange. Predominantly navy set, with royal blue and orange checkered sides and New York in white. Then they could do a retro with maroon navy and off white, and flirt with that wordmark from the mid 00s, Starbury era. At the end of the day I want to see good ideas not easy cash grabs. 

To go back on the Clippers, you think they could go back to the ABA days, Los Angeles, Inglewood, South Bay Condors? I know their mascot is a wink wink nudge nudge to their ABA days but i feel like that would be an interesting way to go. 

[Tore 358]

@bcon_731 Navy, royal blue and orange sounds kinda cool - I might just try that out! 
In regards to the Clippers, maybe Inglewood *insert team name* would be a nice change. South Bay is the G-League division of the Lakers. I honestly do not know. The Braves look is basically great enough for me - it would be really cool if they could incorporate the Braves look in someway as primary. Inglewood Braves might be an interesting concept. 

[Tore 358]

For my Philadelphia 76ers City edition I went very much conservative. It is based on the leaked navy blue uniform from last july. Both the "leaked" and my uniform is pretty much identical to the Sixers current city edition "pass and stow", with some very minor differences. 
As mentioned way back - I am not a fan of cream/parchment. My main reason for my dislike is that cream appears very much off white. The colour just gives off this passive and nostalgic feeling which I don’t really care for in general. However with the direction the Sixers have gone with their city edition, I think it fits perfectly. I've used parchment sparingly as mid trim, on the wordmark, nob and numerals, including the bell logo. 
I really like the spirit of '76 feel the Sixers are going for and I have voiced my opinion on that subject on my earlier Sixer post. Navy is perhaps too close to comfort to the Wizards colour scheme, however I think the "Philadelphia" wordmark and bellstripe makes the uniform stand out. Above the jocktag I've exchanged "Pass and Stow" with "We the People", a reference to the constitution of the United States, which has kept it's golden tone. 
 

I must mention that I have a different city edition concept for the Sixers but I've been struggling with it. It's quite different, which is also what makes it quite hard to finish, which I never might, as I am working on new teams at the same time. However, if or when I should finish it I will definitely post it. 

Philadelphia 76ers City Edition Uniform Concept

 

All thoughts, comments and criticisms are greatly appreciated! And most importantly - stay safe!

[Krz 2,022]

Ooh I like it, although I’m also intrigued by the unfinished jersey you were taking about.

[Tore 358]

So with the news that Toronto Raptors are getting new uniforms and tweaking their logo for the 20/21 season I thought it would be kinda fun to visualize the uniforms so I've made some quick mockups. The reported "hunch" is that the Raptors will adopt the earned edition as their primary. I kinda liked the earned edition, but I was hoping for something more/less. 
I havent exactly gone all in on making everything as detailed and precise as I should, again - these are mockups. 

I took the liberty of trying to make a purple uni as well for fun. Purple and red is hard to balance, but fun and definitely retina destroying combination of colours. I took some liberty other places as well, I changed "We the North" to "We are the North", also used "One for the 6" above the jock tag. I havent edited the logo at all, however I gave the maple leaf a slashed effect. I'll definitely post my own Raptors concepts soon.  

Let me know what you guys think or want for Toronto Raptors new uniforms. 

 

Toronto Raptors Association Edition Uniform Mockup

 

Toronto Raptors Icon Edition Uniform Mockup


Toronto Raptors Statement Edition Uniform Mockup

 

Toronto Raptors Statement Edition V2 Uniform Mockup

 

All thoughts, comments and criticisms about the Toronto Raptors new uniforms are greatly appreciated! Stay safe!

[Hawkeye15 335]

Those Sixers jerseys are tremendous. I would buy those shorts immediately. I also like the asymmetric shorts on Toronto, though I'm not sure they will be well received generally. I think it gives their uniform a lot of character and has a bit of a 90's feel to it, which I love.

[bcon_731 203]

The black raptors jersey is looks like its in the same family as the blazers sets. But solid work overall! 

[Krz 2,022]

Red on purple does not work, there is no contrast. If the NOB was white, or had a thicker outline it would be readable, same thing with the shorts logo. Overall I really like it, I could see them going this route.

[Tore 358]

@Hawkeye15 Thank you so much for your kind words! In regards to the Raptors - the asymmetric shorts is exactly the same as the earned edition/city edition. 

 

@bcon_731 Yeah, I get that feeling as well. I just chevron-ifyed the current Raptors set (excluding the purple maniac uni). Hopefully they make something more out of the statement this time around, instead of just keeping it in tune with the association and icon. 
 

@Krz - It absolutely does not work! I just had to make a purple uni just for the hell of it, and its definitely a tricky balance. I will do as you suggest later today - it's definitely going to look alot better. Another possible solution is black chevrons (and a purple waistband), followed by white wordmark/numerals/NoB with red trim. Red piping around the chevrons maybe too. 
I highly doubt the Raptors will re-introduce purple to their sets though, which is kinda a shame. 

[edjb93 1,117]

38 minutes ago, Tore said:

Another possible solution is black chevrons (and a purple waistband), followed by white wordmark/numerals/NoB with red trim. Red piping around the chevrons maybe too.

 

I do agree with black chevrons, since black is usually the complimentary color to the Raptors' purple uniforms.

[Tore 358]

Here's the statement with black chevron and white/red trim. Looks better but still something a bit off. Anyway, I hope the Raptors makes the statement different from association and icon. 

 

Toronto Raptors Statement Edition V2 Uniform Mockup-Revised