Sacramento Kings 100th Anniversary

I’m excited to share the very first 100th anniversary logo for any NBA franchise, which I created in collaboration with the Sacramento Kings’ Brand and Creative team.

The mark draws upon several easily-defined visual touchstones that help bridge the entire history of the franchise, starting with the ribbon in the center, which echoes the one that was utilized by the team when it was based in Rochester and won the NBA championship in 1950-51. Red and blue have been the team’s colors in every city that the Kings have called home, and the team’s current uniform script is included at bottom. Finally, five cities have hosted the team, and all are represented by five jewels in the logo’s crown.

The Kings’ saga spans the American continent, starting in 1923, with the Rochester (NY) Seagrams, a semi-pro outfit, sponsored by the Seagram's liquor company. They joined the National Basketball League in 1945 and were renamed, becoming the Rochester Royals. The Royals joined the Basketball Association of America—the forerunner of the NBA—in 1948. They relocated to Cincinnati in 1957, transforming into the Cincinnati Royals. The team was on the move again in 1972, shifting operations to Kansas City and Omaha, becoming the Kansas City–Omaha Kings (MLB already had a Kansas City Royals, hence the nickname change to Kings.) Although the Kings played home games in Omaha until 1978, they called themselves the Kansas City Kings starting in 1975, and, finally, ten years later, in 1985, they moved to Sacramento.

Many thanks to Ryan Brijs + Will Tullos for their partnership and creative leadership—here’s to the next 100.