Hooplandia
A new basketball tournament gets an Americana visual identity
The Ultimate Springfield Basketball Tourney and Festival
In 2020, Hooplandia was announced as an annual basketball tourney and festival, to be hosted in the ‘birthplace of basketball,’ Springfield, Massachusetts. Hooplandia is two days of 3-on-3 games in showcase courts themed around New England states, legends and special places. The games are open to all ages and playing levels, from peewee to wounded warrior and college elite.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, named after inventor James Naismith, and boasting 40,000 square feet of basketball history would be home to the new tournament. Along with special events at the Big E Fairgrounds, the event would be supercharged with high-profile contests, festival music, activities, sporting experiences and family fun.
RYCO Design was hired to create a logo design for this very first, epic family basketball event, Hooplandia in New England.
Client / Hooplandia
Industry / Sports / Recreation
Location / Greater Springfield, MA
Project Scope
Ball Out On Branding
Working as the official logo designer for this New England tournament, in the birthplace of basketball, brought on a certain level of off-the-court pressure. The project presented a unique challenge to connect the elements of the city, the legacy of basketball and the dynamics of an event, into a clean and sporty logo design.
RYCO Design worked with the Hooplandia event producers and agency partners to understand all components of the event, including the origin of the name, the inclusivity of the participants and the audience to be captured. RYCO worked hard at finding a logo solution that considered these important elements into a balanced visual representation of a family-friendly America sports event.
To start formulating design options, RYCO Design started by incorporating the most important feature – basketball. The historical American element was represented through the nostalgic colors of red, white and blue, along with stars and stripes. Once these foundational logo concepts were determined, RYCO added in some additional flourishes to tie in other important highlights.
The final logo has a basketball as the center icon to signify the type of event. At the base of the logo are three stripes, which represent the ‘3-on-3’ tournaments. And to make a visual connection to the region, the six stars symbolize the six states in New England. The Hall of Fame building boasts a highly visible spire in front of the building, which was also incorporated as an added element on the basketball. All these features were molded into a badge, producing a very nostalgic sports feel.
A Slam Dunk for a New Sports Legacy in New England
Designing for a basketball event meant thinking about more than a typical product or business. RYCO Design considered audience recruitment, fan engagement, city engagement and basketball enthusiasts to develop the representation of a new sports legacy.
RYCO Design tied together all of these elements in a thoughtful, cohesive logo design that represented the birthplace of basketball. The final logo design is adaptable to use on the website, jerseys, hats, fliers, big screens, fans, giveaways, and other media.
The final logo will be the visual representation of a legacy celebration for the Springfield region to engage the family community and sports enthusiasts for years to come. Given the sweeping impacts of COVID-19, the event is scheduled to be held live in 2021.