We were tasked with breathing new life into the Saudi Basketball League (SBL) through a new and dynamic visual identity.
Basketball is one of the most popular team sports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi (KSA). SBL is the premiere professional basketball league competition in the Kingdom, but lacked fan engagement.
In 2015, the league was transformed by huge investment into the sport, a new and improved structure, upgrades to facilities, enhanced broadcast quality and more attractive packages for sponsors.
SBL needed a new visual identity that would rival football for viewership and significantly boost fan engagement. Our brief was to create an identity that would celebrate the national passion for the sport and inspire and engage the next generation.
The high-speed energy of the game inspired the new SBL identity, characterised by the marque’s central B representing a dynamic lightning bolt. This went on to inform a striking visual language made up of multiple shards of glass. The shape and movement of the shards whirl around the players and represent the physical action of the game.
The identity was rolled out across a national TTL campaign promoting SBL’s rebrand including print, broadcast and digital media. We also relished the challenge of designing our first league trophy
The result surpassed all expectations. Within a year, stadium attendance at matches went from 5% capacity to 90%, television audiences increased to 1.7m overnight attracting more viewers than football and the league attracted big name sponsors like Nike, Zain, Swatch and Champion.
Best Visual Identity (Travel & Leisure) – Silver
Best Use of a Visual Property – Silver
Best Brand Development Project to Reflect Changed Mission/Values/Positioning – Silver
Best Strategic/Creative Development of a New Brand – Bronze
