Minimalist Identites - NBA Version

[Conrad.]

Saw someone on reddit post their NBA-version of the NHL one recently created, so I decided to try my hand at the NBA-version:

I'm open to suggestions about any of them that don't quite work. Thanks!

[El Dandy]

Nicely done. I really like the Thunder and the Bulls. The Spurs' one is cool too. That said, I'm not sure who some of these are supposed to be. I have no idea what 1-5 is (Bobcats?). I assume 2-3 is the Nets but don't quite know the significance of the pattern. 3-1...Hawks? 3-3...Pacers? 3-6...Celtics? Why no shamrock? 4-1...Clippers?

[arcane]

I like the clean look mate. Suprised that for the Celtics it wasn't the clover leaf but the TD Garden hardwood floor. One corcern I have about the Hawks wing is it can look a bit like an eye of a snake or something to that effect.

[Conrad.]

Nicely done. I really like the Thunder and the Bulls. The Spurs' one is cool too. That said, I'm not sure who some of these are supposed to be. I have no idea what 1-5 is (Bobcats?). I assume 2-3 is the Nets but don't quite know the significance of the pattern. 3-1...Hawks? 3-3...Pacers? 3-6...Celtics? Why no shamrock? 4-1...Clippers?

yea, you're right on all your guesses. i wanted to go away from the shamrock for the Celts b/c it's too obvious (and i can afford to be vague with their unique color scheme). also, the Nets pattern is the herringbone found on their court and the side-stripes of their uniforms.

as for the B'Cats, i couldn't think of anything clever, so I just used their "queen's crown" from their logo set. i'd like to do the Nascar checkers, but that might too vague of a reference.

[MDGP]

Not bad at all! I like the creativity particularly with Brooklyn and I'm glad that you went with the shield for OKC.

I like the thought in regards to the Celtics, the only issue I have is that it looks like this...

I realize it is different, but this is the first thing I thought.

[Whittier S]

Took me a second on the Clippers, but that's ingenious. I'd definitely go a different direction with the Bobcats. Nice way to think out of the box with some of these, esp Nets, Celtics, Spurs, Pelicans.

[Discrim]

funny...I got the Celtics' parquet floor reference on sight, but only figured out the Nets due to it being...well...the black & white team that wasn't the Spurs. Great minds thinkin alike with the Clips, as about a year or so ago I posted a few nautical-flag Clippers concepts.

[pianoknight]

I still don't know what the top row, second-from-right is supposed to be.

[St Louis Cardinals]

I still don't know what the top row, second-from-right is supposed to be.

[henburg]

I believe that it is modeled after the crown of Bank of America Tower in Charlotte.

[Greg_Fryman]

Love the creativity here some really good look stuff conrad.

[slapshot]

Sometimes the obvious look is the best look. I knew it was the Celtics based on the color, but the parquet comes across more like a Swastika.

Besides...the parquet is more about the building than the team. Same with the Nets' herringbone. The Celtics and Nets don't take their floors with them on the road.

For the Celtics, go with the shamrock.

For the Nets, maybe the shield, or the ball in the logo, or even just a B.

You have precedents with letters (Lakers/Cavs), so it would work as part of the whole project.

[mjrbaseball]

Yes, in your baseball concepts you say you had to go with some cap logos, yet you deviated from the Celtics obvious shamrock.

[jaha32]

I don't think the Nets floor pattern is iconic or well-known enough yet for it to work here, like it works for the Celtics (although a shamrock makes more sense).

Also, for the Spurs, do they actually have the Alamo in any of their logos? What about just going with the U-spur silhouette?

The Blazers just makes me think of a safety pin, but there really isnt't a whole lot you can do with their logo.

[Kryptik]

Here's my take, much agreeing with points others have made

1-1: The shield seems like the least memorable part of the Mavs logo in all honesty. Maybe you can try something like what was done for the Bulls and the Grizzlies, and use some small lines and negative space to make the outline of the Mustang.

1-3 I know it's part of the classic Pistons logo, but it comes off more like a crosshair. MIght want to think about filling in that middle line, even if it takes up the space that the wordmark would've been on the real deal.

1-5 Definitely didn't figure this out until it was pointed out, but I don't follow the Bobcats at all. Maybe try the shaded part of the alt logo with the cat? Again, similar with the Grizzlies and Bulls.

2-3 I agree wholeheartedly that the shield would be much more recognizable in this case.

3-3 I think the lines should be outside the ball. The memorable part of the Pacers' logo is the speed lines off the ball.

3-6 Definitely agree it should be a cloverleaf. Part of minimalism is invoking an association right away, and much as the parquet floor pattern is iconic, the cloverleaf is even moreso. Even if the color scheme is unique amongst the teams, the associated icon can still end up confusing.

4-1 Mmmnn...seems like a little inside baseball so to speak. I get what it's supposed to be, but it's still not something that'd immediately scream 'CLIPPERS!' to me. Then again, half of that is the fact that the Clippers never had any real iconic imagery to claim, so I guess you make do with what you can.

4-3 I don't remember the Alamo featuring in any of the Spurs imagery, at least the part you show here. I agree on using the spur, or at the very least the arching placard shape used on the real logo.

5-1 Less a criticism and more a curious thought. Love to see one with either just the pelican head or the wings instead. Can't say which part of the identity is more recognizable since...well, it's not fully established yet. More just seeing what else can be distilled from the new identity.

The rest are amazing though and capture the team identities in as little detail as possible. Love the Bucks, Wizards, and Grizzlies especially, the latter two showing the wonders of negative space used properly.

[shaydre1019]

1. I've always thought the nautical flag thing would be a great idea for te clippers, high five!

2. The herringbone pattern is found on the home court and the away jerseys and the way it's executed here can kinda resemble a net so I like it,

3. Yeah te celtics is the only one im not huge on, Its a good idea just hard to execute well.

4. The spurs logo is actually supposed to depict the original Alamo, and everyone knows the Alamo, so it works for me. Maybe try the basement instead though.

[PKP_ZHaze]

That Clippers one is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen. Nice work.

[Whittier S]

I hadn't thought of it the first time, but as to the Celtics parquet/swastika thing--once seen, can't be unseen.