A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about the new NBA team brand identity for the former Seattle Supersonics who landed this past summer in Oklahoma City and are now known as the Thunder.
The logo has pretty much been panned by most, especially getting a lot of thumbs downs from non-design types, like the ink-stained wretches of the sports world. http://12pointtype.com/2008/09/oklahoma-ok/

To be fair and even, the new OKC Thunder has weeks to pull together their new look and feel together and get into the lucrative licensed video games (NBA 2K9 - XBOX & PlayStation) and not miss out on keeping in step with the massive return the gaming industry does for the NBA’s top-of-mind awareness. Plus also get it together on time for that start of the 2008-2009 NBA season in regards to their licensed apparel partnerships, a multi-billion dollar industry world-wide that is spreading like wild fire. Previously, the last new NBA identity launch for the expansion team Charlotte Bobcats had their brand integrity nailed down almost 15 months in advance of their first tip off. If it’s any consolation to the OKC Thunder, Charlotte’s Bobcat logo looks pretty declawed. http://www.nba.com/bobcats/index_main.html

Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers launched the new brand identity this week of their Triple A minor league affiliate, The Oklahoma City Redhawks. This is the previous team logo that has been in use for years. The stunning, new brand integrity for the Redhawks was created by Dan Simon of Studio Simon, a brand design firm in Louisville, KY that specializes in sports-related design, they have done work for the NFL, MLB and plethora of minor league baseball teams. http://www.studiosimon.com/index.html

Their mandate was to accomplish two things. Firstly was the brand integrity to be more front forward and about “Oklahoma City” than the nickname and secondly, even though the Redhawks a top-tier minor league team, they had to have a major-league look and feel. Dan Simon and Studio Simon hit a tape-measure, grand slam in every respect!

The great typography design, the classic southwest flavor, the color scheme and the graphic style are a winner. A very nostalgic flavor with a venerable baseball look and feel. It will translate beautifully in any application from the on-field uniforms and ball caps to printed matter, web sites, licensed apparel, novelties, even the peanuts and cracker jacks wrappers.

The secondary Redhawks’ graphic logo also clears the bases with a very highly identifiable, iconic quality. This is the way to do it right. Studio Simon gave props to the influences that inspired them such as the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Studio Simon also posted a very unique audio slide show style guide to take people through their process and what was their thinking and how they made it home safe! http://downloads.newsok.com/flash_video/theoklahoman/slideshows/okc_redhawks_uni/

This is what I feel that the people who undertook the OKC Thunder’s brand integrity did not accomplish. Their design lacked a definite sense of indigenous character, identifiable flavor, or real priority. There is no hierarchy to it. The Oklahoma Redhawks brand identity is a success because it had very clearly defined goals. See the importance and value of lucid and coherent creative briefs?

Very often design people tend to think that if you are designing a something tropical, adopting a coconut tree mentality is the only thought space to possess. The typical response that creative people have is that everything that came before is a cliche that has been beaten to death with a stick.

In some cases it is, but when you are working on a subject like baseball. as an example, or something that has a geographical relevance, there within often lies the answer and the path to successful communication. Studio Simon really hit it out of the park using what might seem as a limitation, to bring this assignment to life. One of my favorite minor league baseball team logo identities that Studio Simon created was for the Visalia Oaks. This is what it is all about: Fun, locally representative, stylish, with a clearly identifiable communication point. It adds so much the the experiential nature and quality of going to a game.

JOEL KIRSTEIN is a Creative Director who has been in the Ad Agency trenches for 25 years and is a big fan of this type of work by Studio Simon, Todd Radom and Tom Nikosey. Check them out! Time well spent…

Article Tags: a clearly identifiable communication point | brand identity | ee the importance and value of lucid and coherent creative briefs? | Fun | locally representative | lucrative licensed video games | NBA 2K9 - XBOX & PlayStation | new look and feel | new NBA team brand identity | Oklahoma City Redhawks | Oklahoma City Thunder | See the importance and value of lucid and coherent creative briefs? | stylish | The Oklahoma Redhawks brand identity is a success because it had very clearly defined goals | typography design | uccessful communication | venerable baseball look and feel | www.studiosimon.com/index.html
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