National Basketball Association - Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies Identity Development
Griz glare from logo, a force in true blues
 Jerry
West wanted to make sure the Grizzlies eventually became
more menacing.
Their performance on the basketball court sure was
threatening this season.
Now, judging by their new logo, the Griz will soon
look the part.
In unveiling a fresh stamp and new team colors
Monday, the Grizzlies added another chapter to their
three-year Memphis history.
Three shades of blue (Memphis Midnight, Beale Street
Blue and Smoke Blue) plus a hint of Grizzlies Gold are
the components of a design that's intended to be
uniquely Memphis.
The seriousness and tenacious look of the bear?
Well, that's a characterization of West's strength
and courage.
"I love our new logo," West said in a statement. "I
love the eyes on the bear. The eyes are focused,
determined and powerful. This is what this logo and our
team represent - power, determination and a focus
towards winning."
The Griz planned an identity change when they moved
here from Vancouver in 2001. Waiting nearly three years
allowed the transformation to coincide with the opening
of FedExForum.
The team will unveil new uniforms, a revamped team
Web site, a redesigned team store and the FedExForum
court June 17 at a public event. Those Vancouver-born
red, black, teal and brown items will soon be found only
on eBay or a thrift store.
Not only were fans clamoring for a different look,
but so were the players.
Team officials included input from players not long
after soliciting five national and three local firms for
a design competition. After six weeks, the Grizzlies
selected a Mississippi firm to create the final symbol.
"They were very instrumental in describing what they
wanted the look and colors to represent," West said of
the players. "What they wanted was a logo that would
make them feel proud, something that represents this
city, and something that would symbolize a new tradition
of winning and respect."
Critics will notice that "Memphis" appears
prominently in the new design. Beale Street is behind
the neon-inspired typeface of the city name.
The logo is simple, clean and unattached - meaning it
hardly carries the look of a patch or caricature. There
are no immediate plans for a secondary logo.
"We wanted to eliminate elements that were
cartoonish," said Andy Dolich, team president of
business operations.
Although several NBA teams don shades of blue, the
Grizzlies aren't concerned about the color scheme or
idle comparisons.
The Griz promise that they won't look anything like
the Dallas Mavericks or Denver Nuggets.
In fact, they practically guarantee that most fans
will ultimately believe the new look was worth the wait.
"Our preference would have been to introduce a new
logo when we got here," said Mike Golub, Griz senior
vice president of business operations. "In retrospect,
it was a blessing because this is really a new chapter.
. . . The timing is absolutely perfect."
This article was taken from
www.commercialappeal.com. All rights
reserved.
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