The archive · Brand & Identity · Strategic decision · 2022–2023
Utah Jazz turned its brand into a motion identity that flows like the game and jazz
Studio Dumbar/DEPT built Utah Jazz a motion identity of typography, patterns and 3D that simulate the flow of basketball across the arena.
Utah Jazz · Studio Dumbar/DEPT
What it had to solve
Studio Dumbar/DEPT® and Utah Jazz set out to create a unique motion identity for the organisation that showcases its brand integrity to fans. It had to be centred on movement, reflecting the athletes' sporting prowess, the game's rhythm, and the link between jazz and basketball.
How it works
Studio Dumbar/DEPT® and Utah Jazz created a unique motion identity for the organisation by showcasing its brand integrity to fans. The identity is centred on movement, reflecting the athletes' sporting prowess, the game's rhythm, and the link between jazz and basketball.
The system includes typography, patterns and 3D assets, all involving motion that simulates the flow of the game, paired with high-contrast typography and powerful keywords. Nothing about it is a resting logo: the brand only exists as it moves.
The identity is used in the arena, in player hype reels, in-game audience cues and digital communication, providing fans with an immersive experience across every place the team appears. The work was filed in D&AD's awards archive under branding as an example of a sports brand built in motion.
Why it lands
- A motion identity cannot be flattened into a logo, so it keeps performing the game's rhythm at every touchpoint.
- Grounding the system in the jazz-basketball link gives the club a brand story no other NBA franchise can copy.
- Rolling the same motion through arena, hype reels, in-game cues and digital channels lets fans feel one continuous identity.
- High-contrast typography and powerful keywords keep the motion legible from JumboTron scale down to a phone screen.
What it did
The identity gives fans an immersive experience wherever the team communicates — arena screens, hype reels, in-game cues and digital channels — and the work was filed in D&AD's awards archive under branding.
What you can take
An identity does not have to be a static logo. When the product is rhythm and motion, the brand system can be built in motion too, so every touchpoint performs what the organisation stands for.
Since then
The motion identity ran across the club's arena, hype reels, in-game cues and digital communication, and the work entered D&AD's awards archive under branding. There it stands as a reference for a sports franchise expressing itself through motion rather than a static mark.
Sources
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card