RZ is a (amateur) basketball club with a rich basketball history and a turbulent existence. From playing internationally against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Real Madrid. To hit rock bottom with a burned down clubhouse, massive debt, declining number of members and an image problem of being a ‘ghetto’ club.
After being with the club for few years I wanted to give back to the club by joining the board and use my background in design to give a positive boost to its image and help the club survive these difficult times. The idea was to embrace the bad ‘ghetto’ image turn it in a strength... A ‘family’ club with attitude. It all started with a logo design in 2017.
Where it all started with
I decided to do a logo redesign instead of creating completely something new. A classic meets modern look that also references the authenticity of the club.
Photography
To make the club more recognisable & relatable we photographed several players from different teams within the club. So members & future members could feel a familiarity when they walk in. It helped with the family feeling.
For the merch we used a soft orange colour to create a clean & approachable feeling. And they had to feel from the other photos and visuals.
'Promotional' visuals
Not only the writing should be bold also the visual style needed to be bold and with flair.
The online presence
The only online presence of the club was a one-page website with a few links to the national basketball league. This had to change to visual appealing site with all the necessary information to acquire new members.
On the socials
We had set up a team to create live content for Instagram stories and Facebook live-streams, as there was no real activity on social media. We combined the live content with pre created brand content.
RZ end of the season event
Every year at the end of the season the club organises a day for all members. This is one of the things players look forward too as there are pickup games, 3-point shootouts and several prizes are be handed out like M.V.P. (Most Valuable Player) and M.I.P (Most Improved Player). Below are visuals of the 2018 event.
It was an uphill battle with bankruptcy breathing in our neck. But we were able to save the club financially and gain new members. 🔥🔥🔥
Client: Rotterdam Zuid Basketball
Role: Art direction, Brand design, Photo editing, Visual design
Photography: Willem de Kam
Year: 2017 - 2020
