Detroit City Thunder
Visual Identity
Project Overview
My friends and loved ones know that graphic design is my second-favorite hobby. My true love will always be volleyball—the competitive environment, amazing people, the exciting moments— the sport of volleyball never fails to inspire me.
One of my personal goals is to play volleyball semi-professionally or professionally in the United States. In this vein, I've combined two of my interests and imagined what a pro volleyball team based in my home city might look like; I've imagined the Detroit City Thunder.
My Inspirations
From initial research, to naming, to design, mockups, and so much more, the visual identity of the Detroit City Thunder is deeply, truly my creation. However, I drew inspiration from a few other sports team whose branding and visual identity execution I greatly admire:
Sid Lee's
Toronto Raptors project, the
Seattle Kraken rollout, the
NRL and Super League rebranding done by Fraser Davidson, to name a few: the intersection of sports and design is continually exciting.
The primary logo, inspired by the Anishinaabe thunderbird and contained by a strong shield motif.
The instantly iconic thunderbird,
accompanied by type.
What really rounds out the logo suite: Type in various arrangements, and a classic sporty signature.
Project Duration
Feb 2024 - Forever, probably.
It's hard to reflect on this project because it isn't finished. If I'm lucky, it'll never be finished; Maybe the team will really exist someday. If it does, there'll be much more work to do. I would love to do more merchandise mockups, or maybe even print up some real merch. So far, though, I'm very happy with what I've managed to make. Until then, I'll likely use this fictional team as a base for my personal practice work relating to sports.
