For a company to be identified by its customers, it is essential and a mandatory condition to create a logo. Several studies are conducted so that the person in charge of creation can translate, through shapes, contours, colors, overlays or even a simple writing, the identity of the business.
The need to connect with the market in which it operates clearly, regardless of the segment, is another reason that justifies the creation of a logotype. In the world of sports and more precisely in basketball it is no different and this movement has intensified with the arrival of Michael Jordan at Nike in the 1980s and with the creation of his traditional logo in 1984 from a photo for LIFE magazine that advertised the Olympic games and his participation with Dream Team at the time.
As a result, brands started to pay attention to the potential that each athlete had to leverage sales or products, and thus collaborations have become more and more frequent, consequently athletes seen as products and then the need to look strategically for each case and the point of view of construction and brand management.
We have separated some logos of players that you probably saw in some advertisements, sneaker, campaign or clothing collection, along with a brief history under the design of each one of them:
Lebron James first logo was created in the early 2000s as soon as he signed the contract with Nike to produce the shoes bearing his signature among other accessories. The logo was based on his shirt number, as well as his initials talking to the crown of the then athlete who had just become king.
Outside of the historical context, Trae Young's need was to combine from a simple and assertive design, something that symbolized his initials and that was easily perceived by fans and brands.
During his arrival at Nike in 1984, designer Peter Moore had the vision of transforming Michael Jordan's silhouette in the air flying, jumping to dunk, in a logo that would become one of the best known in sports, fashion and design. Certainly a project that serves as an inspiration for so many other brands due to its reach and relevance.
Called sheath and developed by Tyson Becker from Japanese samurai sword references, the logo developed for Kobe Bryant is a representation of a sword that represents the strength along with the holster to store it, which represents the effort of a person to develop his/her talent, along with all the history accumulated by court practices.
Apparently outside the historical context, Kevin Durant logo was developed from his initials and with the need to be easily identified from the moment when he signed with Nike for the production of shoes and other products with his initials.
The Chris Paul logo has a visually appealing and creative design. It includes his initials and the number 3 that corresponds to his shirt.
As soon as Paul George's PG1 was launched, his logo appears in a concept that refers to a discreet bow tie, just to remember his affinity with simplicity and also his moments of sophistication.
Kyrie Irving already used a simple logo with the letter 'K', and as soon as he signed with Nike, the group of brand designers understood that it didn't make any sense to create something new, just add the letter “I” to become another successful case.
The new and current Carmelo Anthony logo appeared in 2006 at the launch of the Jordan Melo M3. It was an important moment when his sneakers were no longer a hybrid of two known silhouettes of Jordan.
The current James Harden logo was born after the signing of his millionaire contract with Adidas and also by a branding initiative to bring him closer to the brand.
Even in college, Shaquille O'neal believed so much that he would work as a player that he transformed his famous dunking position into a logo. Years later, as a center of the Orlando Magic, he would sign a sponsorship and exclusivity contract with Reebok, transforming the image into one of his main trademarks.
The intention of this article was not only to remind or learn a little about the history of the logos of some athletes, but to highlight the importance of these creations and how they act directly in the perception of brands and fans.
