2022-23 NBA Logo & Jersey Changes

[sky1324]

I've never really liked the Heat's brand, so I'm all for them switching to Vice full-time. Of course, that would be replacing those 30 years of brand equity, but when the brand equity is mid at best, I think it's ok for them to make the switch.

[Digby]

9 minutes ago, CDCLT said:

I've never really liked the Heat's brand, so I'm all for them switching to Vice full-time. Of course, that would be replacing those 30 years of brand equity, but when the brand equity is mid at best, I think it's ok for them to make the switch.

 

The Heat are, at worst, a top-five franchise in the entire NBA this century, since they've had this brand. How on earth is that "mid"?

[gosioux76]

1 minute ago, Digby said:

 

The Heat are, at worst, a top-five franchise in the entire NBA this century, since they've had this brand. How on earth is that "mid"?

I feel like many people are coming to these conclusions because the alternative to the core brand is something much livelier than the original. It's a lot easier to label the Heat brand as mid-level appealing when the alternative is a hot-pink novelty look meant to emulate a 1980s TV show.  It's like looking at two Mustangs side by side -- one is black, the other is neon green. Your first instinct might suggest you love the neon green because it's fresh, new and will get a lot of likes on Tik-Tok without realizing that you actually have to drive the thing and, after about six months, you'll get tired of it and wish you'd picked the black all along. 

 

 

[Indigo]

Do you just like the vice colors, or the uniform style itself?

If it's the former:

 

Is that what you'd like the Heat to do?

 

...or if its the latter:

 

Then it's practically no different from their 90's unis:

[CaliforniaGlowin]

For me it's both the colors and Miami script. But I'd take the colors alone.

[sky1324]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

 

The Heat are, at worst, a top-five franchise in the entire NBA this century, since they've had this brand. How on earth is that "mid"?

My opinion, personally, is that the Heat brand - logos, jerseys, etc - isn't that good. I don't like it. Obviously with championships and whatever it's probably too good to change. I want it to change, though.

 

52 minutes ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

Do you just like the vice colors, or the uniform style itself?

For me, it's both the combination of the colors and jersey style. The default style wasn't built for the blue and pink, and the jersey style wasn't built for red and orange. Everything about the Vice jerseys - the blue and pink, the Miami script, the aesthetics that go along with it - is uniquely Miami in a way that the current Heat brand doesn't come anywhere close to capturing. You could plug that in in any relatively hot city and you'd get the same result. Vice is unique to Miami.

 

I suppose, though, it's the same argument as Red Rocks - both are brands born from the "City" program, so they're more inclined to be representative of the city/state than the team nickname. Your feelings on how appropriate that is and how much one or the other should be represented in the team's brand is subjective. I'm more likely to lean towards repping the city as opposed to the nickname, which is probably why I prefer Vice and Red Rocks as brands compared to what those teams currently wear.

[GriffinM6]

For me, the only full-time change I'd like to see to the Heat brand is to include the orange that used to be on their 90s uniforms. Either replace the yellow with orange, or use it along with the yellow. The orange could even be a lighter shade than it used to be too. 

[gosioux76]

I mean, this is kind of how the cycle begins, right? A team switches to a wholly new visual brand identity to chase trends, then after 5 to 10 years misses the old look and ends up changing back. Call it Teal Pistons Syndrome. 

 

I realize the Heat have done nothing to suggest they would ditch their core brand (thankfully), and that this is merely a thought exercise, but you can sort of see the forces at play that would cause a brand to make such a move. 

 

The list of teams that have gone through this exercise is practically infamous. The Pistons, Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres. It's like these brands go through their own freshman year of college where they take a sojourn to find themselves and suddenly come home with long hair and tattoos. 

 

Not to say that no change is good. In fact, these teams' odd choices and bad decisions sort of add to the colorful palette of sports. But there are sometimes when you just have to think, this could all have been avoided. 

 

 

[Digby]

Despite all the capitalist cynicism around the City program, this is a perfect use case for it: let a team come up with a whole second brand, play that role 10 games a year, sell a whole new collection of merch, all without needing to mess with your established brand (if it's good as-is) or trigger any PR fiascos therein. Have Vice Fridays or whatever and it's a win all around. Miami has probably navigated the City Edition era better than anyone else, there's no need to overthink this.

[BJ Sands]

People would get sick of the Vice look really quick if they went to that full-time. It’s great as a novelty but nothing more. 

[Conrad.]

first look at the Draft hats:
 

 

Looks pretty good, and also confirms those 5 teams to not change logos for next season (damn you, Thunder, and to a lesser degree Magic!). Everyone keep eyes peeled for 2 specific hats 

[sky1324]

31 minutes ago, Conrad. said:

first look at the Draft hats:
 

 

Looks pretty good, and also confirms those 5 teams to not change logos for next season (damn you, Thunder, and to a lesser degree Magic!). Everyone keep eyes peeled for 2 specific hats 

I see they're using PDX for Portland, maybe this means we see CLT for Charlotte? I don't hate the design, certainly seen worse from the NBA.

[fortunat1]

1 hour ago, Conrad. said:

first look at the Draft hats:
 

 

Looks pretty good, and also confirms those 5 teams to not change logos for next season (damn you, Thunder, and to a lesser degree Magic!). Everyone keep eyes peeled for 2 specific hats 

Should be Jazz and Cavs right? Cleveland made reference to new logos or unis some time back

[FinsUp1214]

I’m 99.9% certain the Jazz would theoretically still be going forward with thier rebrand despite the backlash, but I’m still a little curious to see what we get on the hat. It’d be hilarious if the navy/gold/green were on the cap instead, and even more so if something purple got snuck in. Both seem highly unlikely though, and I’m fully expecting the black/highlighter.

 

I vaguely recall some Cavs rumors too. I don’t remember what they were, just that they were potentially changing things up. 

[VikWings]

I LOVE the vice color way. Do I think the Heat should change to it full time? Probably not. Would I mind it? Also probably not. I'm not even a Heat fan and bought some vice merch.

 

I think I love the idea of keeping the the current identity but cycling through the 4 previous vice jerseys (black, white, baby blue and pink. Definitely no trix or ransom notes. And honestly you might not even need the white either). But I don't think the NBA/Nike would go for that. 

[VikWings]

5 hours ago, Conrad. said:

first look at the Draft hats:
 

 

Looks pretty good, and also confirms those 5 teams to not change logos for next season (damn you, Thunder, and to a lesser degree Magic!). Everyone keep eyes peeled for 2 specific hats 

 

The Thunder's uniforms are perfectly fine and changing them might be a careful what you wish for scenario, but how on earth almost 15 years later are they still using that generic placeholder logo? Gimme the Browns helmet 10 out of 10 times over that thing.

[Guest]

16 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

I mean, this is kind of how the cycle begins, right? A team switches to a wholly new visual brand identity to chase trends, then after 5 to 10 years misses the old look and ends up changing back. Call it Teal Pistons Syndrome. 

 

 

I wouldn't call the Vice jerseys "chasing trends," unless you categorize nostalgia as chasing trends.  1980s trend, in fact.  It's similar to if the Celtics started wearing a Cheers-themed jersey, but to a greater degree since Don Johnson and Miami Vice was huge in the 80s.  

[dont care]

2 hours ago, sayahh said:

 

I wouldn't call the Vice jerseys "chasing trends," unless you categorize nostalgia as chasing trends.  1980s trend, in fact.  It's similar to if the Celtics started wearing a Cheers-themed jersey, but to a greater degree since Don Johnson and Miami Vice was huge in the 80s.  

Yes it is the definition trend chasing

[gosioux76]

3 hours ago, sayahh said:

 

I wouldn't call the Vice jerseys "chasing trends," unless you categorize nostalgia as chasing trends.  1980s trend, in fact.  It's similar to if the Celtics started wearing a Cheers-themed jersey, but to a greater degree since Don Johnson and Miami Vice was huge in the 80s.  

Sure it’s a trend, in so much as teams embracing novelty uniforms is a trend. The trend doesn’t need to be the look; it can be the act of creating them at all.

[projectjohn]

19 hours ago, Conrad. said:

first look at the Draft hats:
 

 

Looks pretty good, and also confirms those 5 teams to not change logos for next season (damn you, Thunder, and to a lesser degree Magic!). Everyone keep eyes peeled for 2 specific hats 

Paolo Banchero holding a Pistons hat makes me sad. Other than last year, it seems like the Pistons never have any luck in the draft lottery