The Queen's Return
A New Era of Cincinnati Basketball
A New Era of Cincinnati Basketball
Professional basketball left Cincinnati in 1972. In the Royal’s early years, they experienced success with future hall-of-famers Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas leading the Royals to multiple playoff runs. They never won a title and eventually, with team decline and lack of attendance, left for Kansas City and eventually became the Sacramento Kings.
As Cincinnati has continued to grow, the Sacramento Kings have decided to move the team back to Cincinnati. The new brand looks to the team’s early success and the city’s roots for inspiration. A slogan I created for the team is to #MakeOscarProud. Oscar Robertson is a Cincinnati basketball icon. A lot of the new brand is informed by the old Royals brand. While working on this project I wanted to create something that would make Oscar proud, just as the new team will play each game like its their last. Cincinnati was named after the Roman military leader Cincinnatus. This gives the team the strength of a Roman army. Economically, historically, and geographically, the Ohio River has been a driving force for Cincinnati. The river has an unstoppable flow and has made Cincinnati the Queen City it is today. Just as smoke rises from the river, the Royals always rise against their competition.
As Cincinnati has continued to grow, the Sacramento Kings have decided to move the team back to Cincinnati. The new brand looks to the team’s early success and the city’s roots for inspiration. A slogan I created for the team is to #MakeOscarProud. Oscar Robertson is a Cincinnati basketball icon. A lot of the new brand is informed by the old Royals brand. While working on this project I wanted to create something that would make Oscar proud, just as the new team will play each game like its their last. Cincinnati was named after the Roman military leader Cincinnatus. This gives the team the strength of a Roman army. Economically, historically, and geographically, the Ohio River has been a driving force for Cincinnati. The river has an unstoppable flow and has made Cincinnati the Queen City it is today. Just as smoke rises from the river, the Royals always rise against their competition.
Capstone Project
Northern Kentucky University
System Identity
Asset Application
The Royals Uniforms are inspired by the Royal River Pattern in the brand. This gives the uniforms a look of unity and prestige. While also carrying the message of the unstoppable desire to win and always push forward like the river.
The brand comes to life in these posters. Using the shape of the logo as an iconic holding shape to show the transformation from the old Royals to the new.
Bringing the system into each asset as much as possible, the Queen City River Crown is actually cut into the shape of the ticket.
Cincinnati welcomes the Royals back with a brand new arena owned by P&G. The golden basketballs out front are an icon for the Royals and are a photo-op for fans.
A banner fans would see as soon as they walk inside the stadium. Encouraging them to join the Royal Family.
The word pattern makes a return for the team bus. Telling the Royals story through every city the bus travels through.
Process Work:
Above are the three past Cincinnati Royals logos that the new mark was inspired by.
The mark was one of the most important parts of the project. My key inspiration of the Ohio River sparking growth, the Queen City, and Cincinnatus drove my creative ideas towards a mark that was ownable to Cincinnati, easy to recognize, and had a lot of strength. I played with different concepts, using shapes that alluded to the iconic Cincinnati landmarks like Union Terminal, or paying tribute to Cincinnatus using Roman patterns. In the end I felt evolving the Royals past 1950/60's era logos into something that paid tribute to the Queen City and Ohio River was my strongest concept.