Cleveland Cavaliers update their visual identity

Established in 1970, NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers have recently refreshed their brand identity, including a logo, marking a new era that began after their big star’s dismissal four years ago, according to the Cavs official explanation.

While the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics are currently playing in the NBA Final, the team from Cleveland have used the off-season to bring some new traits into their look. Since LeBron James left the franchise in 2018, the Cavs have been among NBA’s least winning teams. But young players want to be attacking next season.

“The future is amazing, and our city and fan community have given us this new generation of amazingly talented players. When we’re entering a new era of the Cavs basketball, it’s time to mark them with a new sign”, the Cavaliers’ creative officer Daniel Arsham said.

Following the 1980’s and the 2003-2010 era, the franchise’s color palette has been switched to wine red, gold, and black again. Thus, blue was excluded from the brand identity. The Cavaliers’ primary and secondary logos, including the big “C”, were revised as a part of the rebranding, and the new set of logos is rooted in the Cavs history. As an official statement says, while referring to the emblems of different eras and, at the same time, speaking the modern design language, the spirit of the Cavs visually transits from the past to the future.

While the Cavs’ new emblem retains its shield form, the colors have been changed. The fact that the logo got rid of the rapier, which has been a customary part of the Cavs’ identity for the last nine years, is the most remarkable thing. Overall, this solution reflects recent simplification trends in logo design, and the milder hues make the emblem more consistent.

The new identity will entirely be implemented at the beginning of the 2022/2023 season. Within a preview presentation, fans will be able to buy the first items of the Cavaliers’ brand-new merchandise including caps, t-shirts, and jerseys.

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