While the NBA refuses to officially admit it, everyone knows that the NBA logo is really taken from a famous photo of Jerry West.
The question is, is that “good enough” any more? Or should the logo be changed to something more “representative”?
To many observers, the logo is a slam-dunk success. Designed by Alan Siegel and first unveiled in 1969, the image of a silhouetted player dribbling to the hole against a groovy red-and-blue background is ubiquitous: it appears on every uniform of every player, on every backboard in every NBA arena and on every piece of league-licensed merchandise, which generates a very groovy $3 billion in annual revenues.
To others, the logo is an anachronism. Today’s players don’t wear tight shorts; most don ultra-baggy uniforms and a great many of them have tattoos. In a league whose players are predominantly African-American and where so many of the players (despite race) relate to hip-hop music and/or its cultural significance, “Mr. Clutch” no longer seems to personify the on-court or off-court stylings of the NBA.
The logo, it appears, is stuck in the middle. Is it the ultimate badge of basketball excellence, as represented by a white player who was a perennial All-Star back in the day? Is it a timeless graphic-design icon that, after 35 years, can still serve as the public symbol for the league’s global marketing campaigns, from Baja to Beirut to Beijing? Or is it as dated as the set shot?
Call me a fuddy-duddy, but logo changes should be something done very carefully. If the logo were to be changed, I’d either make it all text/symbol, or make it more stylized. Changing it to someone more clearly African-American in baggy pants would be way too “pointed” of a move, not to mention something of a slam toward West.
On the other hand, my interest in basketball is nearly nil, so it’s no skin off my nose.
(via kottke)
re-doing the logo so it has baggy shorts and looks \more black\ sounds pretty ridiculous. Now, using the silhoutte of another great (the obvious first choice being jordan) does seem to be a more plausible possibility.
A man Michael Jordan needs to be the NBA logo. Its a new day and time Jerry served well for his era.
We can change the logo, join the group!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=329991720014&ref=mf
change the logo are you nuts why!!! in order to make to make the pathetic homey style thug culture feel accepted thats pathetic its that mentality of cattering to the lowest common denominator that hs not only helped destroy american culture but has certainly destroyed the game of basketball . while youre at it instead of a baskeball in the logo why not put a hand gun or a machine gun that would be more accurate in terms of todays backetball culture, cheers
I have to wonder if “pathetic homey style thug culture” can at least spell and punctuate properly.