Atlanta Hawks Unveil New Uniforms, Logos, Colours

[truepg]

On 7/18/2020 at 7:45 PM, L10nheart404 said:

Celtics, Bulls, and Knicks have a virtually interchangeable jersey. Nothing is special or unique about their look either. It's the historical prestige behind the uniform, which clearly, this Hawks set doesn't have.

You hit the nail on the head and took the words out of my mouth with that statement. The value that those looks have, had been developed over time and gained through achievements, that's what makes them classic. You just can't come up with such a generic bare-bones design today and call it a day and expect it to last and be successful and classic, the way the Sixers have done with their last set. It's just a retro design at this point and nothing more. This Hawks set works in a little more interesting way to its benefit, but it's still of the same. That's why I don't see it having much staying power or ground for that.

I've witnessed the Hawks since the 90s, and their identity has always had personal character the way this new set doesn't apart from the colors.

[L10nheart404]

3 hours ago, truepg said:

You hit the nail on the head and took the words out of my mouth with that statement. The value that those looks have, had been developed over time and gained through achievements, that's what makes them classic. You just can't come up with such a generic bare-bones design today and call it a day and expect it to last and be successful and classic, the way the Sixers have done with their last set. It's just a retro design at this point and nothing more. This Hawks set works in a little more interesting way to its benefit, but it's still of the same. That's why I don't see it having much staying power or ground for that.

I've witnessed the Hawks since the 90s, and their identity has always had personal character the way this new set doesn't apart from the colors.

Well, we don't know how good the Hawks will be in the next few years.  Winning will determine how these uniforms are perceived in terms of longevity.

[Lights Out]

20 hours ago, IceCap said:

The Hawks predate the Nique era by nearly four decades. They won a NBA Championship (the only one the team has) twenty-four years before Dominique Wilkins' rookie season.

 

While this is all technically true, the Nique era is still the peak of the Hawks' cultural relevance as a franchise and the first thing most people would think of as their "roots." I'm not sure most modern day sports fans would know who Bob Pettit is.

 

Think of it this way: if they came out and said a few months ago that the new uniforms were going "back to the roots," the Concepts board would be full of modernized Nique uniforms, maybe a few modernized Pistol Pete uniforms too, but not anything that looks like what the Hawks just unveiled.

[IceCap]

36 minutes ago, Lights Out said:

Think of it this way: if they came out and said a few months ago that the new uniforms were going "back to the roots," the Concepts board would be full of modernized Nique uniforms, maybe a few modernized Pistol Pete uniforms too, but not anything that looks like what the Hawks just unveiled.

Oh I disagree. Most fans probably don't think of the pre-Wilkins Hawks but people who are interested in this stuff- the people who come here- would. I could totally see uniforms like what we just got flooding the concept section if the team said "we're going back to our roots."

 

38 minutes ago, Lights Out said:

While this is all technically true,

We played this game when you were upset that the Dallas Stars (est. 1967) went with a classic identity. 

 

It seems what qualifies as a "classic" team is rather flexible for some people who want to insist on certain aesthetics. 

 

Do the Hawks have to look classic ala the Lakers or Celtics? No, they don't. Can they? Yes, they can. This isn't like that one time the Magic tried to pretend they were the Bulls. The Hawks have a deep enough history to justify a classic look like this. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

21 minutes ago, IceCap said:

Do the Hawks have to look classic ala the Lakers or Celtics? No, they don't. Can they? Yes, they can. This isn't like that one time the Magic tried to pretend they were the Bulls. The Hawks have a deep enough history to justify a classic look like this. 

 

Long vs. deep. The Hawks have been around for a long-ass time and mattered for very little of it. The only times people cared were during the green/blue era, the 'Nique era, and that one year they won 60 games in bad uniforms.

[Beer Barrel Man]

I like them quite a bit. And I love the colors! About time.

 

Good rebrand. 

[L10nheart404]

59 minutes ago, IceCap said:

 

Do the Hawks have to look classic ala the Lakers or Celtics? No, they don't. Can they? Yes, they can. This isn't like that one time the Magic tried to pretend they were the Bulls. The Hawks have a deep enough history to justify a classic look like this. 

Agreed. Basically, the Hawks have never had a team like they do now. I'm talking in terms of a core of really young players that are all drafted and developed as rookies. The new design works for the young, and the older crowd.Think if Nique, Dikembe, and Doc Rivers all came in the same 1-2 year span, and then the Hawks introduced the classic design that Nique made famous? Those uniforms would be a lot more prestigious than they already are. So basically, if the Hawks become an eastern powerhouse, these uniforms will look that much better and hold that much more value.

[ATLfan]

The uniforms are flawless. Easily in the top 5 in the league. And I might be a biased hawks fan, but this I’ve absolutely hated the last two looks. The hawks finally look like the hawks again.

[joekono]

On 7/21/2020 at 8:44 PM, ramsjetsthunder said:

Is their primary away uni the black or red

Well, by seasons end, it will probably be red,blue, white, black,turquoise,green, robins egg blue and PEACH.

[FinsUp1214]

On 7/22/2020 at 2:39 PM, Lights Out said:

 

While this is all technically true, the Nique era is still the peak of the Hawks' cultural relevance as a franchise and the first thing most people would think of as their "roots." I'm not sure most modern day sports fans would know who Bob Pettit is.

 

Think of it this way: if they came out and said a few months ago that the new uniforms were going "back to the roots," the Concepts board would be full of modernized Nique uniforms, maybe a few modernized Pistol Pete uniforms too, but not anything that looks like what the Hawks just unveiled.

You keep equating “roots” to “peak”, but that’s not always true nor is it always the intended context. 
 

Ultimately, the audience for this rebrand and its story are Hawks fans. Most other NBA fans will likely “trace” the Hawks’ history back to Nique because that’s probably as far back as thier Hawks knowledge goes (if they even care much for NBA history at all, that is), but I would imagine most Hawks fans - as would fans of any team - understand thier history and the context of “roots” in this regard. Especially when the Hawks just celebrated thier 50th anniversary in Atlanta recently.
 

If the Jazz changed uniforms tomorrow and said “we’re going back to our roots”, as a Jazz fan I know my team’s history: I know they wouldn’t be talking about the mountains (the team’s “peak”), they’d be talking about what Pistol Pete wore.
 

I would imagine the context Hawks fans have of thier own history - coupled with recent celebrations of thier 50th anniversary and an inaugural Atlanta throwback - is something that helps “roots” make sense for this uniform. They’re the intended audience, after all; not outsiders. As I’ve stated before also, this uniform has very clear homages to the inaugural uniform and the inspiration to it is rather unmistakable when you look at the two side by side. 
 

This is a very good example of how, in some cases, “roots” =/= “peak”. They are equal and overlapping in the case of, say, the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are not in the case of the Atlanta Hawks.

[SCalderwood]

 

 

 

[L10nheart404]

1 minute ago, SCalderwood said:

 

 

 

We get it for the thousandth time... McDonald's is red and yellow, so are the Hawks, Chiefs, and Flames(another former Atlanta team)

[Rockstar Matt]

Love the return to the traditional colors, but these are really boring. Objectively, they’re not bad uniforms at all, but they’re painfully generic. 
 

I wish they kept the old uniforms, but just changed volt to yellow. I don’t know if it’s an unpopular opinion, but I loved the volt set (minus the volt). 

[Old School Fool]

1 hour ago, SCalderwood said:

 

 

 

 

You mean to tell me teams can have the same colors as other teams and brands!?!? Unbelievable!! I never would have guessed!!!

[truepg]

1 hour ago, Rockstar Matt said:

Love the return to the traditional colors, but these are really boring. Objectively, they’re not bad uniforms at all, but they’re painfully generic. 
 

I wish they kept the old uniforms, but just changed volt to yellow. I don’t know if it’s an unpopular opinion, but I loved the volt set (minus the volt). 

I liked the alternate red set with the ATL wordmark that had a cool 'A' character, and would've worked with yellow too instead of the volt that I despised. All of the main three sets had awful shorts design, though.

[Go Red Sox!]

On 7/22/2020 at 2:09 AM, L10nheart404 said:

a few good shots   these are a huge upgrade, and this is up there with the Braves for best Atlanta sports uniforms

 

I was completely wrong. The uniforms actually look very good. Same goes for the font that I didn't really like at first sight. All in all, this is way better than their previous sets. Good job, Hawks.

[BBTV]

I like it when teams "own" color schemes.  I get that it's totally normal and acceptable for teams to share schemes with others in their league, but I'd rather Atlanta "own" red and yellow - since Houston has basically abandoned it - and let Miami own black-red-yellow (unless Miami is going to commit to the Vice scheme.)

 

They could still sell the black jersey as a fashion one or some special one that they wear once in a blue moon, but a yellow jersey would have made for a more appropriate alt IMO.

 

 

Also - all the backseat moderator votes are in.  The next person that posts anything McDonalds related in a thread about the Hawks or Chiefs is banned.  Grow up.

[Ridleylash]

10 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said:

Also - all the backseat moderator votes are in.  The next person that posts anything McDonalds related in a thread about the Hawks or Chiefs is banned.  Grow up.

What about the Flames?  

[L10nheart404]

In 1980, both teams rocked this color scheme  

[MCM0313]

On 7/21/2020 at 11:36 AM, Bruhammydude said:

Glad they finally are back to red and yellow! They look much better than they previously did (unlike a certain Atlanta football team). My hope is they do something with the old blue and green uniforms they wore with the city uniforms, and if they have a classic they use they the ones with the big white stripe across the chest (you should know what I'm talking about) Only nitpicks are I wish they kept the current font over the standard block font, and that they stayed under nike instead of hopping to Jordan (that should really only be for the Hornets and maybe the Bulls) I am really hoping the red uniform is the main color jersey, it fits so much better than the black one

I hope they have good balance in what they wear. I actually like the black one, although they could stand to add a bit of black to the regulars so the alt doesn’t stick out so much. But the red and white are also very good. I’m kind of sad to see volt go, as I feel they never really explored its potential. But what is replacing it is clearly an upgrade.