ADAM PYSHER   //  Design  //  photoGRAPHy  //  Creative strategy  //  


Design
  1. Supersonics Rebrand
  2. Brotherly Love Brewery
  3. Vikings Design Sprint
  4. Novo Infused Beverages
  5. Temple University Marketing Material
  6. Joey Bada$$ Mobile Site
  7. Seeking Solace
  8. Poster Series
  9. Rhythm Music Magazine
Photography
  1. Wedding  
  2. Forgotten Spaces
  3. Let Brotherly Love Abide With You


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Seattle Supersonics Rebranding 2023
Instructor:  Joe Bosack
Fall 2023For this sports branding project, I chose to redesign the historic NBA team as if they were making a return for the 2023-2024 season. In my approach to this project, I wanted to keep a nostalgic factor of the storied franchise whilst also refreshing their look to compete in a modern sports market and of course, feature the iconic Seattle Space Needle in the team’s primary mark.

Pitch Presentation


Seattle Supersonics Rebrand & Case Study


Background


Coming into senior year, I was most excited about a class I signed up for called Sports Branding. This class was instructed by designer Joe Bosack, whose work spans both collegiate and professional sports, and to me is incredibly inspirational. Over the summer of 2023, before the fall semester, I began ideating what kind of sports identity I might pitch for my project come the fall semester. I made a trip to Pittsburgh, where my cousins lived and imagined how awesome it would be to introduce an NBA team to the Pittsburgh area. It was sticking to me, ideating names and so on and so forth. Then I thought about introducing one to my hometown metro area. Bringing a professional team to the Lehigh Valley, home to 800,000 residents. It was later that summer, boarding the flight to visit my brother in Seattle that it clicked when I saw someone on that plane wearing a Shawn Kemp jersey.  

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I would rebrand and reimagine the iconic Seattle Supersonics as if they relaunched this year for the 2023/2024 season. The Sonics hung up their jerseys in 2008 due to various legal and logistical issues, and the city has yearned for the return of their beloved franchise since. I was certaintly in for a surprise when I saw firsthand the connection a city still has with a team that's been out of commission for 15 years and counting.  


Research

When I began my research, having just spent 10 days exploring the city was an immense help in my design process. I began looking at the atmosphere and major influences of the city. I knew early on that keeping green and yellow in the colorway would be necessary. Being called the Emerald City and the city surrounded by beautiful green landscapes, it was fitting. My reimagined green and yellow for the Sonics would be a brighter and bolder shade, bringing a fresh look to the team and embodying the new energy of the team. Diving into the major landmarks of the city, the atmosphere, and the innovative nature of some of the companies based out of the city I created a mood board representing that.  


Logos and Branding


Iteration Process




Primary Logo

It was imperative to feature the iconic Seattle space needle in the logo. As homage to the original logos of the franchise, both an element of a basketball and the Space Needle were reimagined in a more simplified aesthetic of modern sports branding. The Space Needle and basketball and integreated together to show the connection of basketball to the city. The Space Needle breaks out of the emblem enclosing “Seattle Supersonics” to make the mark more dynamic, and in a way to communicate the tech forward and outside-the-box nature of the city.





When going through the logo crafting process, ensuring legibility in all applications was a necessity. The featured color rotations for light and dark backgrounds show how the logo has flexibility in color whilst still retaining the brand's core identity. 


Secondary Logo







For the secondary logo, the S features a supersonic jet cutting through it. To add to the idea of the fast flying nature of the team. Going up in the air for a dunk, a jump ball or a game winning shot, and connecting that to the nature of a Supersonic Jet taking off and cutting through the sky.  

The secondary mark underwent a lot of change till it met its final adaptation, where earlier versions were close to what I wanted but faced legibility challenges where I felt like it could be seen like the number 8 in an out of context situation. 

Wordmark

 
My approach to the wordmark was customized typography that echos the speed of the jet in the secondary logo, reflecting the team's name and its fast-flying character


On Court


Playing Surface





The Supersonics would take stage in Climate Pledge Arena at the iconic Seattle Center complex. On the floor, the main logo is at center court. The secondary is seen at the low post on alternating sides of the floor,  with the Supersonics wordmark extending across the baseline of each side. I wanted this floor design to pay homage to some of the original floor designs the team played on but with the fresh new personality of the brand.  

Jerseys






My approach to the jerseys was taking the same energy from the logo and color palette and bringing it directly into the physical jerseys to be worn. The home jersey features the Rainier Peak white with Emerald City Green and Sonic Yellow stripes down the sides, around the arm stitching and on the collar. For the away jersey, Emerald City green takes over, and the Sonic yellow and Evergreen colors are featured in the stripes. Nordstrom is featured as the jersey sponsor as a tribute to my brother who works there in Seattle. 

Comeback Campaign


Outdoor Signage & Social 


With a return as big as the Supersonics’ it was imperative to have an impactful comeback campaign to build hype for the city and fans everywhere. Featuring engaging slogans that play off the nature of a supersonic jet, the campaign spans both print and digital. The banners with the wordmark and “For the City” would be featured outside and in the area around the arena as a unifying rally cry for the team and fans. For the billboard, the secondary mark and halftone trail are paired with “Breaking the Barrier” relating to how Supersonic Jets fly faster than the sound barrier. “Prepare for Takeoff” is used to excite fans for the upcoming and long anticipated season. “Back in the Atmosphere” would be the social media campaign promoting season tickets being available for fans to get their hands on.


For the billboard, the secondary mark and halftone trail are paired with “Breaking the Barrier” relating to how Supersonic Jets fly faster than the sound barrier. “Prepare for Takeoff” is used to excite fans for the upcoming and long anticipated season. “Back in the Atmosphere” would be the social media campaign promoting season tickets being available for fans to get their hands on.


Merchandise


For the merchandise, I explored a couple different variations of using the logo in application to make more unique apparel. For the shirt designs, featuring the secondary logo inside a basketball, and on the hats, featuring the dates 1967 when the organization began and 2023 to celebrate the new chapter for the return campaign. 




Conclusion

Throughout the redesign process, it was important for me to keep consider how citizens of Seattle and die hard fans around the country would react if this redesign were to be put into production. I wanted to keep pieces of the old brand identity so that it was not a total 360 change to what is one of the most iconic franchises in NBA history. Having had the chance to be in the city just prior to the start of the project gave me a great perspective of the culture there as well. My next steps for this project are to continue to expand the social media campaign, as well as introducing an alternate “City Edition” version of the jerseys, so stay tuned! A special thank you to Joe Bosack for his insights and help over the course of this project.
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