National Basketball Association - Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis
Grizzlies Announce Plan for New Logo, Colors
This time next year, your Memphis Grizzlies gear will
officially become collectors' items.
That's because the Grizzlies are changing their logo,
team colors and uniforms to coincide with the 2004-05
season and a new downtown arena.
Team officials will unveil the new look in 2004,
about three months before FedExForum opens in September
that year.
"The right time for an identity change would be the
first year in the new arena," said Mike Golub, Griz
senior vice president of business operations. "We
officially applied and submitted initial designs. Right
now, we're going through revisions."
Only league approval and minor artistic changes
remain before the process is complete. The Grizzlies
submitted their new logo to the NBA on May 15. The
league is putting the design through a trademark search.
Expect a radically different and contemporary logo.
And don't worry. The team's nickname will remain the
same.
"We're definitely going to be the Grizzlies," Golub
said. "But we wanted a logo that is fresh and
distinctively Memphis. We think what we're coming out
with is better, more contemporary, and more Memphis."
The Grizzlies had essentially maintained an image
they brought with a 2001 move from Vancouver.
Golub would not elaborate on specifics about the logo
nor the potential colors.
Although the team's look is not expected to change
for the coming season, the Grizzlies have already
de-emphasized and accentuated certain colors.
For example, teal is no longer prominent while the
use of red increased last season. The Grizzlies' other
colors are bronze and black.
"We think there are some parts of the logo we like
that we may be able to continue," Golub said. "But it's
going to be a cleaner, fresh look with likely new
colors."
The Grizzlies relied on a competition among seven
companies (five national and two local) to come up with
a new logo. A Mississippi firm won the design bid.
Designs for the Grizzlies' new uniforms, court design
and secondary logo should be finalized later this
summer.
Although the Griz applied to the league for a logo
upon their move to Memphis, news recently spread among
fans that wanted to purchase Grizzlies state license
plates.
Fans who ordered the specialty plates received
refunds and a letter stating the project had been
discontinued because of the logo change.
Golub acknowledged that the Grizzlies "had a long way
to go to get to the 1,000" pledges needed for the state
to produce Grizzlies plates. However, Golub claims the
Grizzlies stopped the license plate drive because the
club learned it could not change logos on the plates for
10 years.
"When any company redoes their logo you want every
element where you're represented changed," Golub said.
"We didn't want rolling billboards to be outdated. I
think we'll be successful with the plate program once we
truly attack it. . . . We're tracking well for a new
logo and new look for the first year in the new arena."
This article was taken from
www.gomemphis.com. All rights
reserved.
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