Customized Action Condensed for the NBA
The italic angle was increased, for better differentiation from the upright and more drama.
NBA Action Condensed Bold is used to create logotypes for subbrands, events, and media partnerships on the fly.
The silhouette, introduced in 1968, did not change, but the logotype is now in Action Condensed.
A number of the more distinctive traits of Action Condensed have been toned down, but the R retains its signature curve.
The lowercase feels softer thanks to the round dots.
The italic angle was increased, for better differentiation from the upright and more drama.
NBA Action Condensed Bold is used to create logotypes for subbrands, events, and media partnerships on the fly.
The silhouette, introduced in 1968, did not change, but the logotype is now in Action Condensed.
A number of the more distinctive traits of Action Condensed have been toned down, but the R retains its signature curve.
The NBA engaged Champions Design for a brand refresh in 2017. The iconic logo (purported to be Jerry West), first introduced in 1969, didn’t change, but everything else was updated and refreshed, and a customized version of Erik van Blokland’s Action Condensed ties the whole identity together.
Under the direction of the designers at Champions, we toned down some of the quirkier features of Action Condensed, redrew the numbers, rounded the punctuation and i and j dots for softness and to echo the basketball in the logo, and increased the italic angle for greater differentiation from the upright and increased urgency. Finally, we simplified the family to three weights, in between the existing graded weights. The aim was to create a tool for generating logotypes on the fly, crucial for a client who needs to be able to quickly and consistently brand countless events and media partnerships.
We were delighted to have the opportunity to work with Shiva Nallaperumal, Joe Chang, and Type Project on adapting the logotype to Hindi, Chinese, and Japanese, respectively, for some exhibition games played overseas.
Hindi adaptation by Shiva Nallaperumal
Chinese adaptation by Joe Chang, eyesontype
Japanese adaptation by Type Project