NATIVE AMERICAN MOTIFS

NBA - The Golden State Warriors

‘The Golden State Warriors’ are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


Logo designs through history:

1946- 1962 ‘PhiladelphiaWarriors’http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PhiladelphiaWarriors.png

1971–1987 ‘Golden State Warriors’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1971-76_GS_Warriors_Logo.png

1987–1997 ‘Warriors’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_State_Warriors_1987-1995_720x540.PNG
1997-2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_State_Warriors.svg

2011-2012 ‘Golden State Warriors; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010_GS_Warriors_Logo.png

1997–2010 ‘Golden State Warriors’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_State_Warriors.svg


The logo for the Golden State Warriors, has dramatically improved from its original design.

It is more culturally appropriate, as it references the San Francesco Bridge, where the basketball team originated. The design is contemporary, with its clean lines creating the image of the bridge. The two colours used are a vibrant blue and a bright yellow, which reflects the traditional logos used throughout its history. The circle shape is reminiscent of the basketball shape; it is symmetrically balanced with the name of the basketball team curving around the top and bottom of the circle shape. 


The original design was created in 1946, the team was called ‘The Philadelphia Warriors’. It was an illustrative drawing of a native Indian happily bouncing the basketball. It is almost mocking the race and drawing attention to it. In 1997 the logo’s imagery reflected motifs of Zeus the ancient Greek god. The main figure is a muscular, athletic man, he is holding the lightning bolt which is part of the word ‘Warriors’. This represents the strength and power of the team. I love the firey colours of red, yellow and orange within the design, it reflects the lightning speed of the players.


In my opinion, the current logo achieves it’s intention of creating a contemporary modernised version to uplift the design. 

I like how they have still used the original blue, and also added in the golden colour, which reflects the new team name ‘Goldern State Warriors.’ The new design emphasises the state and origin of the team without the childlike illustration of the native Indian. The approach is more culturally appropriate as it focuses off the Native American race and focuses on the famous landmark the San Francesco Bridge. It could be improved by incorporating imagery that directly resembles the tough athletic sport- Basketball.


Bibliography: 
http://www.nba.com/warriors/warriors_intro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_State_Warriors