Bridging the Gap, Again: The Return of the San Francisco Warriors | © 2016 ianbakar.com

Rebranding the

Golden State Warriors ©

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When the Warriors first came to California from Philadelphia in 1962, they claimed their territory in San Francisco. They played their games in the city of San Fran from 1962-1971, but ultimately moved to Oakland in 1971, becoming who we’ve come to know today as the Golden State Warriors.

Currently, the Warriors are working on a new arena set to open in 2019, in the heart of San Francisco, which will be known as the Chase Center. This will mark the first time the franchise will play in the city of San Francisco, since leaving ‘The City’ in 1971.

The new eastern span (Oakland side) of the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, where the current logo takes its inspiration.

The Warriors logo and branding in use today is a faux-back of sorts; inspired by prior eras of GSW/SF basketball. The current logo features a render of the newly constructed “eastern span” of the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, that is closer to the Oakland side. They wear their adored ‘The City’ throwback uniforms from their days as the SF Warriors quite often through the seasons, and have a secondary logo with an “SF” monogram. They also plan to don Oakland-pride tribute uniforms for next season, in lieu of the planned departure from Oakland in 2019, as a show of gratitude.

The move to SF may just bring a change in name, or return...to the San Francisco Warriors.

The western span (San Francisco side) of the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, where the Warriors will be moving in 2019.

Naturally, I’ve got some logo ideas, for the plausible move. Here’s a look at their past logos:

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The New Logos

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Golden State Warriors

A current map of the Bay Bridge and ‘Bay Area.’ The blue dropped pin denotes the location of the Warriors new arena opening in 2019.

P R I M A RY L O G O A frontal, looming view of the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, for the first time in Warriors logo history, takes center stage.

The roundel shape and refined type treatment stays true to the past. The view depicted is closest to their new arena, the Chase Center. The decorative pattern on either side of the bridge-ball fusion mimics the cross section of the supporting bars of the tower, and also evokes historical tribal warrior aesthetic, for a double entendre. ‘1949’ sits at the top of the tower’s recesses, the franchise’s establishing year. This is all in an effort to ‘globalize’ basketball, as soccer currently is; hence the sudden influx of shirt-jerseys and roundel logos.

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Alternate application and one color-versions of the logo.

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PA RT I A L L O G O

S E C O N D A RY L O G O 1

S E C O N D A RY L O G O 2

The primary logo without the ‘San Francisco Warriors’ wordmar kcircling, utilized for secondary applications. The seams of the basketball form a subtle “W” in the center and intertwines with the bridge—bay area basketball. The ‘1949’ may be removed for smaller applications.

What’s a warrior without a shield?

The SF monogram takes precedence in this logo. This also gives a nod to the original SF Warriors logo, which utilized a native headdress as its focal point. The bridge/tribal warrior pattern from the primary is utilized fully here.

Though SF is the place to be in 2019, the Warriors don’t just represent one city, but the Bay Area; that is San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland, and it’s surrounding neighborhoods.

Another subtle “W” appears atop “The Bay,” as a continuation of the basketball seams. This is a play off of the old ‘The City’ branding and uniforms.

WORDMARK The current Warriors’ logo shook up the design world — by utilizing COPPERPLATE as its standard type. Yes that one, the one found in your Microsoft Word default dropdown. Here, I’ve chosen a more refined, less extended and stronger type, still evoking epic vibes ­— Penumbra.

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New Uniforms

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Golden State Warriors

HOME UNIFORM White at home. The uniform continues an age old Warriors trend, with the player number sitting in the roundel on the front of the jersey. The primary logo is featured on the front, sans the basketball, where the number now sits. The inside collar reads “The Bay.” The SF logo rests at the waistline. The shorts now mimic the suspension cables of the bay bridge in a cleaner fashion.

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AWAY U N I F O R M Blue on the road. The uniform continues an age old Warriors trend, with the player number sitting in the roundel on the front of the jersey. The primary logo is featured on the front, sans the basketball, where the number now sits. The inside collar reads “The Bay.” The SF logo rests at the waistline. The shorts now mimic the suspension cables of the bay bridge in a cleaner fashion.

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A LT E R N AT E U N I F O R M Gold alternate, featuring THE BAY. The secondary logo takes front and center, representing the broader fan base of the Warriors. The front number moves to the player’s top left side of the chest. The inside collar reads “The Bay.” The SF logo rests at the waistline. The shorts now mimic the suspension cables of the bay bridge in a cleaner fashion.

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