The Mike Pero Nelson Giants are excited to introduce the Club’s updated logo and brand.
Following the 2021 NZNBL season, in which the Giants celebrated their 40th year in the NBL, the Club embarked on a brand refresh process. The previous team logo had been in use since 2012 and was no longer suitable for use across the various social media platforms that the Club utilises.
General Manager Michael Fitchett knew exactly who to call to help the Giants work through this process.
“I made a call to Alex Wastney, who is a Nelsonian based in Hamilton. Alex is an old friend through basketball and played for the Giants in 2003. I have followed Alex’s design company, Designwell, since he founded it with his wife and I know how great their work is. It was a no brainer for him to be our first port of call in this process.”
Alex has fond memories of his time as a junior basketball player in Nelson and his year with the Giants.
“I remember the Giants coming to my Primary School when I was a kid at Clifton Terrace. Having the guys who were stars in the sport I loved come and coach us in our school was awesome. Joining the team in my final year of High School was a great experience and set me up for the rest of my NBL career, which was outside of Nelson because of my University studies”.
Designwell graphic designer Jackson Croucher ran point on the project, working through the Club’s previous logos and team posters to find inspiration. Jackson is not connected to the Club or the region, so it was great to have his unbiased view throughout the process.
“We looked at the old posters, logos and team photos for inspiration. One thing that jumped out at us immediately was the cool Nelson script in the 1986 team photo. This became our font for the new logo. Our brief was to try to create something classic and timeless, so the US College style font for the word Giants came to us pretty quickly. We think the lines of the ball around the text adds a classic touch.”
After playing in navy blue for a long time, Designwell has introduced a change to a brighter, bolder shade.
“The change from the darker navy is an attempt to bring a little more energy and verve to the brand. The Club wants to bring energy to what they do on and off the court, so this bolder blue fits the brief, and the red and white secondary colours support that. We also drew inspiration from the classic 1992 uniform, which is a favourite of Giants die-hards,” said Wastney.
Fitchett hopes the final product is one that we hope all Giants fans will get behind and wear with pride.
“We love what Designwell has come up with. It is beautiful and fits our brief of classic and energetic perfectly. We can’t wait for our New Balance merchandise to be available so our fans can get their hands on it too”.
The Giants open their home slate of games against the Otago Nuggets at the Trafalgar Centre on April 28. Tickets will be available soon.