Just a few months after Steve Ballmer bought the LA Clippers in 2014, he and his workers started reconsidering all the things concerning the franchise: the place it ought to play, what its emblem ought to appear like, what colours it ought to use, even the title “Clippers” itself.
They employed exterior consultants to craft fan surveys asking about all of the above. In the meantime, the Clippers soared again into nationwide relevance after the Chris Paul/Blake Griffin period gave option to the Kawhi Leonard/Paul George offseason of 2019. The Clippers have not made the Finals, however they cracked the convention finals in 2021 for the primary time in franchise historical past and have been constant contenders when wholesome.
Ballmer has confirmed prepared to spend no matter it takes to win. In 2019, the Clippers introduced plans to maneuver into a brand new area — the Intuit Dome, which is able to open subsequent season.
Based on their inside research, the Clippers have doubled their general fan base prior to now seven years, staff officers mentioned. They need to double it once more going ahead.
Suggestions from followers was persistently in opposition to a possible title change, staff officers mentioned, describing the fan response to any suggestion of a reputation change as “outright hostility.”
The suggestions struck Ballmer. “The main target teams are advisory, not definitive,” Ballmer instructed ESPN. “However I nonetheless take heed to them, and I’ve heard, partially to my shock, that there is no such thing as a curiosity in a reputation change. I had thought of [the name] years in the past, earlier than I acquired the staff, however we heard related reactions again then.”
However the staff knew it wanted a rebranding. Its present emblem — a basketball with an enormous blue “C” containing the “LA” mark within it — has been largely panned as generic and bland.
Ballmer wished a monogram-style mark that might play internationally, Gillian Zucker, president of enterprise operations for the Clippers and Intuit Dome, instructed ESPN. Even amid the general criticism of the emblem, the staff realized that followers preferred the thought of a semi-stacked “LA” mark — with the “A” sitting atop and inside the decrease leg of the capital “L.”
With followers expressing such affection for the title — derived from clipper ships and naval vessels that dot the coast off of San Diego, the staff’s authentic California dwelling — staff officers determined it was greatest to maintain the title and tether any new artwork to it. They wished a makeover that might keep true to the Clippers’ conventional title, colours and iconography.
Focus teams and respondents to these fan surveys repeatedly expressed optimism that the franchise was in good arms beneath Ballmer, officers mentioned.
“Folks mentioned this 100 instances — ‘This staff has course now,'” Zucker mentioned. “They mentioned it time and again.”
The idea of course — of ahead momentum — struck a chord. The result’s a pointy new major icon mixing the motifs of a compass and a naval ship:
Right here is the worldwide emblem — which by league rule comprises the complete title of the staff:
The colour scheme is usually traditional Clippers, although with a brand new emphasis on navy blue. The ship is the centerpiece. There could also be some snark about its semblance to a swimming shark, however the staff might be OK with that. They wished the ship to look menacing — as if it have been coming straight at you, officers mentioned.
The ship additionally helped the staff preempt any potential copyright claims from Main League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, who’ve used compass imagery on their artwork, per league sources.
The outer edges of the ship’s sails curve, mimicking precise sails within the wind. The font is impressed by the typeface typically used on the hulls of grey naval vessels, the staff mentioned.
The 2 coloured rings on the worldwide emblem — crimson on the skin, powder blue on the within — provide good touches of shade. They have been the brainchild of Christopher Enviornment, the NBA’s head of on-court and model partnerships, who felt the artwork wanted some brighter pops, officers mentioned.
That emblem will shine at heart stage on the Clippers’ new courtroom at Intuit Dome:
In a enjoyable contact, the “N” in “Angeles” on the skin of that center-court emblem really factors due north, staff officers mentioned. The crimson half-circle above the foul line is a welcome dose of shade. The longitude and latitude of the town of Inglewood — dwelling of the Intuit Dome — are on the sideline of the courtroom. The general look is minimalist and glossy. (This won’t be the Clippers’ solely courtroom subsequent season, sources mentioned.)
The first icon is on the shorts of the staff’s new affiliation and icon jerseys — rendered in white and navy, respectively:
The jerseys are easy and clear. The staff stored the final upward, scripted “Clippers” wordmark however sharpened the font; it was thicker and curvier — most seen within the cursive lowercase “l” — in a few of the staff’s older jerseys, with some outlining across the letters:
“It was just a little cartoony,” Zucker mentioned of the outdated font. “We wished it to really feel extra severe.”
The staff’s third jersey set — the assertion version — is crimson and just a little completely different:
The staff went with “Los Angeles” as a substitute of “Clippers” on the entrance and the shortened “Clips” — a favourite of Ballmer’s — on the waistband.
The Clippers have used black jerseys earlier than, however opted to scrap that search for now. “We stored listening to from those that black was overdone,” Zucker mentioned.
Beneath George’s proper arm, you possibly can see three nautical flags stacked atop one another — the nautical symbols for “LAC,” one other nod to the naval origin of the staff’s title. The identical three flags are rendered in opposition to a white background on the left aspect:
Not one of the three jerseys revealed immediately are powder blue. In these surveys and focus teams, followers typically talked about their love for that shade, Zucker mentioned. The Clippers know that. Anticipate some powder blue sooner or later.
Additionally anticipate extra of “Clips” throughout LA’s artwork — together with as a part of its secondary emblem assortment:
The staff is especially enthusiastic about that scripted “LA”, with the “A” sitting perched atop the “L.” They’re hoping that construction — the “A” atop and inside the “L” — is distinct sufficient from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ uber-famous “LA” emblem, which has the 2 letters intersecting.
“It’ll make for an outstanding hat,” Zucker mentioned. “In 20 years, individuals will look again and this might be iconic for the Clippers.” That emblem is on the waistband of the staff’s affiliation and icon jerseys.
The true masterstroke might find yourself being the stylized “C” partial emblem, which meshes two nautical photos: a compass that additionally resembles a loop hook round which a sailor may knot a rope. That emblem might ultimately seem on jerseys, together with on the waistband, Zucker mentioned.
All of this coincides with the transfer subsequent season to the Intuit Dome, which is able to embrace each state-of-the-art expertise and a sequence of options designed to get followers to deal with the sport itself. That features The Wall, an enormous 51-row part reserved for followers who show (by way of numerous check-offs) their bonafides as Clippers supporters. The concourse might be dotted with countdown clocks that may tick throughout business breaks to alert followers to return to their seats for the resumption of recreation motion, Ballmer mentioned. In suites, the meals might be arrange nearer to the courtroom as a substitute of towards the again of the suites.
The sport is the factor, and it’ll look completely different with the Clippers’ large rebrand.
“The hope [for the look] is that it is trendy,” Zucker mentioned, “however feels prefer it has been round eternally.”