Utah Jazz — Take Note – a distinctive campaign for the prestigious NBA play-offs
Originating in New Orleans, the Utah Jazz franchise has been based in Salt Lake City since the late 1970s, becoming one of the NBA’s most enduring names. Making the play-offs at the end of the regular season is a huge deal for any franchise, not to mention its players and fans. Having qualified at the end of last season, Utah Jazz invited Studio Dumbar/DEPT® to create a visual identity for their play-off campaign.
Strategy
With very little time between qualification and the play-offs, the turnaround from brief to delivery was tight. We worked with the client to create a strong campaign built on fluid, streamlined foundations. Our aim was to create a stand-out campaign, celebrating the prestige of the play-offs, the natural grandeur of Utah state, and the common ground between jazz and basketball: rhythm and sound, movement and flow, synergy and individual expression.
Design
We created a series of robust yet flexible building blocks, led by a family of bespoke icons. Designed for application in print, 3D and motion, each icon is a simple, evocative pattern illustrating one or more themes from the brief: basketball (defense, flow); the field of play (net, scoreboard); music (rhythm, jazz); and the State of Utah (mountains, trees). The supporting colour palette is restrained, with grey and white providing a crisp, elegant foil to a metallic gold – used sparingly for maximum impact. The campaign springs to life when animated icons are applied to motion graphics – across digital and social media, as well as JumboTron screens and LED hoardings at the Vivint Arena. The campaign encompassed print and 3D applications too, including: gold wrap for exterior signage and the Jazz’s famous musical note symbol; and huge typographic banners, unfurled by fans before the games, inviting the competition to ‘TAKE NOTE’.
Results
Not only did we answer the brief quickly, we also exceeded expectations – delivering a campaign that is both innovative and distinctive. The sophisticated, confident tone ensured that Utah Jazz stood out from the other teams involved in the play-offs, while still appealing to their dedicated fans and public.
