In 2014–15, the Hornets return when owner Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats adopt the moniker synonymous with NBA basketball in Charlotte. I was approached by Nike’s Brand Jordan group to develop a new primary logo for the team. Working with collaborators Rare Design and David Iglesias, I created a range of hornet icons that strived to balance an approachable team look with the fierce aura of the Jordan aesthetic. The resulting primary brandmark was then refined and translated into a broad range of secondary marks for the wide variety of team applications.
Darrin Crescenzi, design
Rare Design, direction and design
Client: Jordan Brand
Case study coming soon!
With his move to the Miami Heat and subsequent uniform number change, LeBron James’ brandmark was no longer viable and required an update. The brief was appropriate the simple, iconic crown from within his existing logo and evolve it to stand out among other crown logos in the marketplace. After extensive exploration, the solution emerged to create the rim of the crown out of the athlete’s initials, and incorporate the original crown as the crest atop the new logo.
David Creech, CD
Darrin Crescenzi, design
Created while at Nike Brand Design
Various brand symbols and logotypes from throughout my career.
Case study coming soon!
Symbol design for NikeFuel, a revolutionary new metric designed to quantify everyday physical activity agnostic of sport, establishing a shareable "currency" via which one can track and compare their activity level with others. Built upon the premise of "if it can be measured, it can be improved," NikeFuel provides a simple overview of your level of physical activity, and the ability to challenge yourself to do more through goal setting and social media challenges.
Heather Amuny-Dey, Creative Director
Darrin Crescenzi, designer
Done while at Nike Brand Design
On July 16, 2012, Roger Federer surpassed Pete Sampras’ record for most weeks as the top-ranked tennis player in the world. With his 287th week as the world’s No. 1, the Swiss maestro further cemented his status as the greatest of all time.
To commemorate the occasion, I worked with the Nike Tennis team on a limited-edition series of Roger’s signature Zoom Vapor 9 Tour shoe, limited to 287 pairs (one for each week on top of the rankings). I created a custom ambigram logo, pattern and special packaging — inspired by the back of playing cards — to honor the achievement.
Heather Amuny-Dey, CD
Darrin Crescenzi, design
Peet Kegler Studio, additional design
Created while at Nike Brand Design
Identity system and brand guidelines for Unity Preparatory School of Brooklyn, a grade six through twelve, tuition-free public charter school in Brooklyn, New York which opened for its inaugural class in Fall 2013. The school focuses on combining a rigorous academic curriculum with strong co-curricular programs in athletics, performing arts, technology and design based on a student’s interests. The identity is built around the concept of the golden section, a unifying mathematical proportion present in music, art, biology and technology, rendered in the form of a traditional academic coat-of-arms. The shield itself takes its form from the initial ‘U’, creating a natural compositional harmony with the school’s name and logotype.
Branding, uniform and typographic design for Hyper Elite basketball uniforms, worn by Team USA and other Nike Federations in international competition since the 2012 London Olympics. Working with the Creative Director of Nike Basketball apparel, we established a design vision for the uniform wherein a single neutral body color is visible while a player is inactive, with a flash of pop color revealed during a defensive stance, dunk or jump shot — inspired by the defensive behaviors of certain wild fish and birds.
The USA chest badge logo, constructed using the 26 degree chevron from Nike heritage, is meant to be wildly different than anything ever seen on a USA uniform before. Its upward movement references high-flying athleticism, and its composition is meant to evoke the badging of super hero costumes. The uniform is blocked in various 26 degree angles, which also inform the custom typeface, developed in three weights and a full character set for international uniforms
Ryan Aanderud, Creative Director
Heather Amuny-Dey, Creative Director
Darrin Crescenzi, uniform design, typography, branding
Eric Duvauchelle, uniform design
Esther Chang, additional typography
Created while at Nike Brand Design
My interpretation of various House Sigils from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels. Done as a passion project to keep my love affair with the series fresh while waiting for the next novel. One of these currently hangs in the Belfast production office of the HBO adaptation “Game of Thrones," which is very exciting.
18″ × 24″ poster with gold foil stamp, on 80# Mohawk superfine eggshell cover stock.
Printing by Premier Press, Portland, OR
SOLD OUT
30-second video piece introducing Nike’s single-thread “Flyknit” footwear technology. Using the metaphor of a robotic hummingbird to communicate the light-weight, breathable construction as well as the sophistication of the manufacturing technique, our little hero knits together a prototype of the Nike Flyknit Racer within an ethereal, zero-gravity environment.
Darrin Crescenzi, art direction and concept
Heather Amuny-Dey, creative director
The Mill UK, character design and animation
Created while at Nike Brand Design
USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men’s and women’s basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety (usabasketball.com).
Known globally for its association with the famed ‘Dream Team’ from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the existing logo had great equity which needed to be brought into a new age. The new logo strives to retain all of the iconic elements of the previous mark (split typography, star and ball) but combine them in a more modern, purposeful way, with emphasis on creating a badge that adapted well for use on apparel.
Note that this version of the logo differs slightly from the final version in-use. Designer preference and all.
David Creech, creative direction
Darrin Crescenzi, design
15-second video piece illustrating Nike’s updated “smart” Flywire technology; loose threads on the footwear’s exterior expand and contract based on an athlete’s needs. The narrative of the video illustrates a basketball player in the midst of a dynamic cut, putting great stress on his shoe. The film slows down, and just before shoe gives out, living Flywire grows from within to provide a lock-down fit which enables the athlete to explode out of his plant.
Heather Amuny-Dey, creative director
Darrin Crescenzi, art direction and concept
Royale, animation
Created while at Nike Brand Design
Iconic product visuals, packaging and branding created for the unveiling of a revolutionary new product called the Nike+ FuelBand, designed to track everyday physical activity and convert it into a universal metric called NikeFuel. By wearing the product all day long, you get a distilled overview of your level of physical activity, and the ability to challenge yourself to do more through goal setting and social media challenges.
A hugely important moment for the Nike brand, the launch of the FuelBand was a collaboration between the Nike Brand Design, Nike Digital Sport and Nike Brand Innovation teams, as well as several agency partners. The images were leveraged during the product launch event, as lead marketing campaign visuals both in-store and online, on product packaging and as advertising.
Heather Amuny-Dey, Creative director
Darrin Crescenzi, art direction, design
Adam Garcia, design
XYZ Graphics, CGI
Staudinger + Franke, CGI
Created while at Nike Brand Design
Corresponding with the expansion of the LiveStrong line of products to a global audience, an updated brandmark for the Nike/LiveStrong Foundation partnership was needed to introduce the brand to a new range of customers. Nike worked with agency partners to develop a concept to combine the yellow Livestrong band and Nike brandmark, cementing the bond between the two entities. Logo mark refinement, visual brand standards and product branding guidelines were created by me.
Remco Vloon, Design Director
Eric Duvauchelle, Art Director
Darrin Crescenzi, designer
Created while at Nike Brand Design
The Nike 255 Custom Lab was an experimental apparel customization experience located 255 Elizabeth Street, NYC. VIPs, athletes and influencers are able to create their own Nike Sportswear product with team sport, Nike brand and artist collaboration graphics via a variety of methods, including embroidery, heat transfer and direct-to-garment printing. I was involved with the environmental design and creation of the customization experience, as well as branding, print collateral and establishing the product offering.
Byron Merritt, Creative Director
Michael Shea, Creative Director
Kevin Wolahan, Design Director
Darrin Crescenzi, design
Youngran Ryu, design
Seasonal product graphics by AKA
Done while at Nike Brand Design
Launch campaign for Nike Flywire technology, a new footwear upper technology which utilizes high-strength cables to create a lightweight but incredibly durable fit in athletic footwear. Launched as part of the Nike's Beijing Olympics initiative, the project included branding, product photography, retail displays and more.
Heather Amuny-Dey, Creative Director
Scott Denton-Cardew, Design Director
Darrin Crescenzi, design
Youngran Ryu, design
Created while at Nike Brand Design
Brand voice, identity system and business collateral for Portland-based web design and development firm Periscope Creative. The company’s coastal roots, purposefully small size and personal approach to client interaction informed the design, which is reflects a modern interpretation of colloquial nautical language based on the owner/principal’s coastal roots.
Printing by KeeganMeegan, Portland OR
Product design, branding, packaging and product photography art direction for the launch of (Nike)RED laces product, part of the broader “LACE UP. SAVE LIVES.” initiative, Nike’s contribution to the ubiquitous HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
I worked on the lace product design, dubré, lace and ball packaging, POP displays, branding, product visuals, and art directed the PR photography.
David Creech, creative director
Paul Reidmiller, photography
Done while at Nike Brand Design
Appointment-only footwear customization space located on the 6th floor of the Niketown New York flagship. This experience was the model for the entire NIKEiD Studio program, allowing consumers to customize footwear with exclusive colors and materials, led by a Nike Design consultant. I worked on experience design, branding, custom fixtures, retail graphics, patterns and print collateral.
Heather Amuny-Dey, CD
Scott Denton-Cardew, DD
Darrin Crescenzi, designer
Cynthia Tuan, designer
Brendan Finlayson, designer
Hybrid Design, additional design
Created while at Nike Brand Design
