The Oklahoma City Thunder have never struggled with a team identity. Since the franchise left Seattle, they’ve been known as the team with former MVP Kevin Durant and ferocious point guard, Russell Westbrook. These two All-Stars have helped shape what Oklahoma City basketball is, but does their logo do them justice?
Graphic Designer Brandon Moore has created a new concept that makes us think they should absolutely hire him to give the team’s sad-sack logo a serious makeover. The Thunder logo is simply not up to par. Moore is more succinct in his aversion to their current logo.
“In their attempt to avoid what they might consider cliche, [they’ve] ended up with a meaningless collage of contrived graphic elements,” he writes.
“Even with the team’s success on the court,” the designer adds, “it has been very hard for the fanbase to build an emotional connection to the logo and therefore the team itself. The logo is also likely losing the team money in potential merchandise sales.”
Regardless of the pecuniary disadvantage, fans pretty universally loath the current logo. According to Brandon, fans say it reminds them of Doritos, not basketball.
His new concept centers on the nature and natural history of Oklahoma and he eloquently takes fans through a journey of thunderstorms, stampedes, revving engines and finally the roar of the crowd. What we’re left with is a design inspired by the state’s natural thunder and bison. The bison is designed with the shape of Oklahoma State in its body, evoking patriotic pride, something fans can really get behind.
The colors remain blue and orange, but are a bit more rustic, giving it just a bit of an edge. Using catch phrases like “Home Sweet Oklahoma” and “Boom!” give the state its own version of “We The North,” which has been widely successful for the Toronto Raptors franchise.
So, should the Oklahoma City Thunder consider changing their logo? It seems like it could be a good idea even though they shot down rumors of a rebrand earlier this year. With Kevin Durant becoming a free agent this summer, it couldn’t hurt the organization to ensure he really likes the jersey he suits up in every game. Maybe it’s not outside the realm of possibility for him to have a say in it, too. If so, please consider Brandon Moore’s clever rebrand idea.
