Did the New Jersey Nets tease their Brooklyn logo?

[andrewharrington]

That does kind of suck.

I can also see it from the media/PR people's point of view though, where I guess it would sound a little weird to people if they wrote Adidas designed the court?

Exactly. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. A lot of people work hard behind the scenes on projects like these all the time. It'd be nice to get them all recognized in some way, but that's not realistic, either. You've just got to embrace the opportunity. It's not like anyone's claiming credit for something they didn't do.

lolwutpear, seinfeldleaving, other various images of incredulity

You'd be surprised how many people in NYC already know what the 'B' by itself stands for. Not to mention the sheer volume of people wearing the logo and serving as mobile billboards.

I would say its cultural proliferation has been a success, even with all the lolgenericlogo comments on here.

yea, i guess if you give something mundane-looking enough exposure, people eventually understand it as "iconic". sad, but true.

as for the herringbone, i enjoy it. it does have a nice "ballroom floor" feel to it, which is a nice tie-in to the era which the logotype was inspired by (too bad it wasn't executed correctly!).

That's how all great brands are born, though. Not unfortunate at all.

[spockEars]

'Bout time. I'd still like to see some clear photos of it without the Instagram filter, but there you have it. Like I said, I don't know if the wood itself is special or different. My role in it was just the idea of using the unique herringbone pattern to do something recognizable for Brooklyn, something in the vain of Boston's parquet. A signature element that links back to and eventually (hopefully) becomes an integral part of their brand. It would be great if this was a catalyst for more teams to do unique things with the construction (not just the decoration) of their courts.

You must've JUST updated your post, because it said "the NBA's first herringbone," but I thought the Raptors had herringbone at the SkyDome.

Either way, good idea, I'm glad you suggested it.

I haven't found a great image yet, but it looks like you might be right. Either way, didn't want to be caught in a fib. Sucks that it's not the first one. Crushing my dreams. I feel like it's less original now, but at least it's unique in the current landscape of the league.

EDIT: Here's an image of it. Looks like it was a bit lighter in color, and maybe wider columns as well?

That was my favorite court to play on in NBA Live 97.

[Gothamite]

i guess if you give something mundane-looking enough exposure, people eventually understand it as "iconic".

And if you give logos as gorgeous as the Nets' new set that exposure, they instantly become iconic.

[Waffles]

So this officially licensed adidas Nets shirt is for sale online:

The NETS wordmark is clearly different (and vastly better IMO). For reference, here's the logo from the mothership:

The above shirt was the original logo. They revised it to the actual logo, presumably so that the NETS text matched up better with the weight of the BROOKLYN text.

The original logo popped up again on this hat Andray Blatche tweeted a picture of announcing his signing:

It's amazing to me something like this could happen more than once - an earlier iteration of a logo sneaking onto produced merchandise. I still like this one much more than the actual logo, though.

[gyrocol]

It's amazing to me something like this could happen more than once - an earlier iteration of a logo sneaking onto produced merchandise. I still like this one much more than the actual logo, though.

I don't think its that "amazing"... The bolder text looks better in some merchandise, so they continue to use it, even if its not the "official" logo.

The Yankees are known to do this... They have several variations of the interlocking NY that they use as appropriate, but only one of them is used officially in print.

[MEANS]

to get product into the stores when a logo/identity is released you must produced the product ahead of time. When the league sends out the logo for the licensee to use they start producing the product. The league decides to update the logo after that fact and there you go. product in the market with an old logo.

[Waffles]

It's amazing to me something like this could happen more than once - an earlier iteration of a logo sneaking onto produced merchandise. I still like this one much more than the actual logo, though.

I don't think its that "amazing"... The bolder text looks better in some merchandise, so they continue to use it, even if its not the "official" logo.

The Yankees are known to do this... They have several variations of the interlocking NY that they use as appropriate, but only one of them is used officially in print.

All of the Yankees' NYs are part of their official identity, while the early iteration of the Nets logo is not part of theirs.

[BrandMooreArt]

Harrington-bone court

[gyrocol]

All of the Yankees' NYs are part of their official identity, while the early iteration of the Nets logo is not part of theirs.

I know, but that's not my point - its the "why" part.

In the case of the bolder Nets logo, that bold font simply does not go with the rest of the Nets branding, and I'm sure that's why they changed it to the thin font. But when its stitched on merchandise that's simply a more functional logo. Similarly the uniform NY logo is fat and bold and perfect for visibility reasons, but compared to typical Yankees branding its too fat and bold, so you don't see it in print much.

[McCall]

All of the Yankees' NYs are part of their official identity, while the early iteration of the Nets logo is not part of theirs.

I know, but that's not my point - its the "why" part.

In the case of the bolder Nets logo, that bold font simply does not go with the rest of the Nets branding, and I'm sure that's why they changed it to the thin font. But when its stitched on merchandise that's simply a more functional logo. Similarly the uniform NY logo is fat and bold and perfect for visibility reasons, but compared to typical Yankees branding its too fat and bold, so you don't see it in print much.

You sure you get it? Because you just the said the same thing which is the complete opposite of what he was saying.

Yankees NY variations = ALL in official style guide, therefore ok to be used in various forms.

Nets thicker letters logo = NOT an official logo and therefore NOT supposed to be used in any capacity of reproduction.

They are not the same thing.

[gmen]

New Court Shot.

Corner seats look weird...

[illwauk]

Corner seats look weird...

Thought the same thing. It probably won't be noticeable with people in the stands, but still...

[The_Admiral]

Are you talking about those little triangles of seats at the top of the lower bowl? They look like the views will be obstructed by people sitting at like a 45-degree angle from them. Do not like.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Are you talking about those little triangles of seats at the top of the lower bowl? They look like the views will be obstructed by people sitting at like a 45-degree angle from them. Do not like.

Those caught my eye, too. Sightlines might be an issue for a few people in $200 seats at basketball games, too.

As for the "iconic B," I cringed. Not because I don't like the rebrand, because I do. But that B hasn't even been worn it a game yet. Not sure icon status happens that quickly. Alas, I haven't seen the B stand alone at all. Is it the B-with-ball that is prematurely iconic? Or is a solo B all the rage in NYC?

I don't know if I saw the B by itself I'd say "Brooklyn Nets" just yet.

[Brian E]

Are you talking about those little triangles of seats at the top of the lower bowl? They look like the views will be obstructed by people sitting at like a 45-degree angle from them. Do not like.

Those caught my eye, too. Sightlines might be an issue for a few people in $200 seats at basketball games, too.

As for the "iconic B," I cringed. Not because I don't like the rebrand, because I do. But that B hasn't even been worn it a game yet. Not sure icon status happens that quickly. Alas, I haven't seen the B stand alone at all. Is it the B-with-ball that is prematurely iconic? Or is a solo B all the rage in NYC?

I don't know if I saw the B by itself I'd say "Brooklyn Nets" just yet.

the secondary mark seems to be going nuts here. so much so that i'd be shocked if it wasn't the primary by next season.

the use of "iconic B" in that article is the nets' PR team's dream. as a publicist myself, i know we'd be going nuts if we scored a win like that for a new brand. is it premature to call it iconic already? yes, but it's quickly becoming very well known in the tri state area. if the nets could win a title in the next few years, it could achieve that status.

[TheOldRoman]

Are you talking about those little triangles of seats at the top of the lower bowl? They look like the views will be obstructed by people sitting at like a 45-degree angle from them. Do not like.

They might be angled. One of the problems with New Comiskey Park was that the seats down the lines were all facing centerfield, so you would spend the whole game with your neck turned to the infield. When the replaced the seats a few years ago, they put in slightly angled seats so that all seats faced second base. Those triangle seats might very well be angled to face the court.It still looks like a slapdash arena, though.

[IceCap]

Are you talking about those little triangles of seats at the top of the lower bowl? They look like the views will be obstructed by people sitting at like a 45-degree angle from them. Do not like.

Those caught my eye, too. Sightlines might be an issue for a few people in $200 seats at basketball games, too.

As for the "iconic B," I cringed. Not because I don't like the rebrand, because I do. But that B hasn't even been worn it a game yet. Not sure icon status happens that quickly. Alas, I haven't seen the B stand alone at all. Is it the B-with-ball that is prematurely iconic? Or is a solo B all the rage in NYC?

I don't know if I saw the B by itself I'd say "Brooklyn Nets" just yet.

the secondary mark seems to be going nuts here. so much so that i'd be shocked if it wasn't the primary by next season.

It won't be. The Nets will just follow the NBA trend of promoting their secondary to the point that it becomes the de facto primary.

the use of "iconic B" in that article is the nets' PR team's dream. as a publicist myself, i know we'd be going nuts if we scored a win like that for a new brand. is it premature to call it iconic already? yes, but it's quickly becoming very well known in the tri state area. if the nets could win a title in the next few years, it could achieve that status.

My problem with the B is that it just looks so....ordinary. It looks like it came straight out of a standard MS Word font choice. No doubt it'll become iconic with the right mix of marketing and on-court success, but it just seems a bit lacking compared to other letter form logos we'd consider "iconic."

I'm still not sure how I feel about the Nets' new look. I'm ok with the black and white colour scheme, but the logos and wordmarks still don't do it for me. I get that the intent was to mimic the old style Brooklyn subway signs, but most of those had rather bold lettering. The "NETS" script on the shield, and the accompanying BROOKLYN script and standalone B seem a bit to thin. Making them thicker and just a bit more blocky might fix it for me.

[Gothamite]

On its own, I don't think that particular "B" form could ever be considered iconic. But against the basketball, I'd say it's most of the way there. It needs only the exposure of in-season use to put it over the top.

[CubsFanBudMan]

On its own, I don't think that particular "B" form could ever be considered iconic. But against the basketball, I'd say it's most of the way there. It needs only the exposure of in-season use to put it over the top.

Exactly my thoughts. The B-ball may become iconic, but never the B itself. Thanks for clarifying what's going on in NYC. I don't think I've seen any Nets gear being worn in person... yet. So while it may be taking steps toward iconic near home it's not quite taking the entire nation by storm... yet. But hey, if you can make it in New York... ah, never mind.

[BBTV]

I'm not sure how well a darkish floor will go with the black lanes, especially on TV. Arena lighting sometimes makes things look a little darker anyway, and this might end up looking like brown and black, which often clashes (true the court won't be that dark, but still.)