Brooklyn Nets Going Gray for Fresh New Look

Zach Lowe, writing for ESPN:

But Marks wanted change, to put his artistic imprint on the franchise he has helped reinvent, and he had a radical idea: a gray floor meant to evoke blacktop courts, the streets of Brooklyn, and the borough’s “industrial vibe,” he says. Gray has been on the fringes of the team’s Brooklyn-era palette, including on the alternate Brooklyn Dodgers-themed uniforms they wore in past seasons. […]

The only trick was getting the shade right — dark enough to come across as gray on television, but not so dark as to muck up the visual experience.

The first stain proved too light during a test broadcast on Aug. 13, team officials say. Both the league and the team agreed that the manufacturer (Connor Sports) and painters (Ohio Flooring Company) should darken the stain. Time was getting tight. The final version arrived Wednesday.

This is magnificent design work. I love everything about it — the colors, the typography, the subway-tile motif. It is very distinctive and original without being radical or distracting in the least. Except for one thing: why in the world did they put the “Barclays Center” logotype in blue in the final version, when in all the mockups it was black and looked way better?

We can easily guess one answer: some idiot at Barclays insisted upon it. Not only does the blue ruin the monochromatic scheme, it’s harder to read.

★ Monday, 23 September 2019