A month or so ago, when the NBA decided to go forward with a tentative plan to relocate 22 teams down to Orlando’s Disneyworld for a finish of the regular season and playoffs, one of my initial thoughts was, “Will they be designing and producing a “general use” court for the teams to play on?”
I read a rumour a short while later of teams being able to transport their individual courts down to Orlando to have a feeling of a “home-court advantage,” but I still held on to the idea for a general-purpose court for the NBA to use. I left alone the idea for a week or so, and then the world narrative changed again, from a global pandemic to a loud public outcry for justice amid the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of members of the Minneapolis Police Department.
From the time this brutal injustice occurred up until the moment I write these words, people all across the world continue to make their voices known about systemic change needing to happen. I saw this unified force of the world as an inspiration to bring this sentiment into the NBA’s situation down in Orlando. With that in mind, I designed a logo and accompanying court design to help push the narrative for desperately needed change in the world today.
“Together For Change” is a comment on every person in the world striving together to enact action that will help to eradicate injustice. It also has a secondary meaning of the 22 NBA teams being quarantined “together” in Disneyworld for the remainder of the current regular and postseasons. This is the court design, along with the primary logo:
I was humbled to receive many positive comments from people about my court design and logo concept.
That affirmative encouragement propelled me on to expand my concept with accompanying “special-edition” jersey concepts that teams could wear during games in Orlando. I wanted those jersey designs to not only fit the general aesthetic of the court and logo design, but I also wanted the jerseys to stand alone as a call-to-action. I envision the teams also selling these jerseys and dedicating 100% of their sales profits to a local or global organization that is fighting to achieve substantial change in the struggle for true civil justice. The exposure that the court, logo and jerseys would have through media coverage of the games and also the general view of NBA fans wearing the jerseys in everyday life could keep alive the sentiment that we all need to find a real and intentional way to aid the fight for justice in the world.
For the first set of “Together For Change” jerseys, I created these:
I was overwhelmed and honoured when I received an email from ESPN requesting permission to repost my photos on their “NBA on ESPN” social media platforms. ESPN’s coverage also led to the Boston Celtics reposting my photo, so I was excited to see that the word was being spread around.
With the inundation of positive responses from people all over social media, I was again inspired to continue on with the project. I’m now firmly resigned to complete the full set of 22 “Together For Change” jersey designs to represent all the teams going down to Orlando. Without further ado, here are the next set of 8 teams, soon to be followed by the final 6:
Thanks to everyone who provided feedback to me about the project. Let’s keep the dialogue moving forward and find ways to band together for change!
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