Welcome to the Club

(Est. 1968) "The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA)." (Wikipedia)

Design by: N/A

Opinion/Notes: We have to address the name upfront: the Hawks are the first NBA team to get soccer-ized and that's kind of a huge deal, as it's a complete shift in nomenclature that the league hasn't seen ever and it will be interesting how many other teams start adding "Basketball Club" or "United" or "Sporting" to their names and how soon before they start going with crests. Funny how things change. On to the logos: The new primary logo adopts the re-designed "Pac-Man" logo and wraps it in a roundel with some rather interesting typography. I'm not saying it's great, but at least it's a little different and more considered; the only problem is that, with its hard angles, it has nothing to do with the smoother curves of the Pac-Man icon. The secondary logo is simply the icon without the roundel. The alternate logo, though, is possibly one of the worst NBA things I've seen. It's completely random and indulgent: wings! fire! basketball! It's so poorly done too — at first I thought my file was corrupted and that it didn't finish loading the top of the graphic but, no, the logo's top is just cut off like that (perhaps to resemble the "A" in the typography). Really unfortunate graphic. I call penalty.

Related Links: Hawks press release

Select Quote: The primary logo features the team's evolved "Pac-Man" unveiled to much fanfare during the 2014 Playoffs, with the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club wordmark encircled around it.

The Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club moniker expands on the idea that we are more than just a team of 15 players. Our Basketball Club recognizes the contributions of the entire staff to our success. It respects and honors past players and coaches and their significance. Ultimately, the new Basketball Club designation reflects our commitment to building an emotional connection with our fans and maintaining an inclusive environment that welcomes all people. In the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club, "everyone matters" and all are welcome.

The Hawks also unveiled a completely new secondary logo that pays tribute to the history of the city of Atlanta. The wings of a Hawk lift a basketball engulfed in flames, symbolizing how the city of Atlanta rose from the ashes to become one of the nation's leading international cities.