SYNOPSIS
I've always wanted to delve into the world of minimalist design, so I created a fictional collaboration between Pantone and the NBA (National Basketball Association).
This is a collection of modern, Pantone swatch cards created for the top 10 picks of the 2022 NBA Draft:
1. Paolo Banchero - Orlando Magic
2. Chet Holmgren - Oklahoma City Thunder
3. Jabari Smith - Houston Rockets
4. Keegan Murray - Sacramento Kings
5. Jaden Ivey - Detroit Pistons
6. Bennedict Mathurin - Indiana Pacers
7. Shaedon Sharp - Portland Trailblazers
8. Dyson Daniels - New Orleans Pelicans
9. Jeremy Sochan - San Antonio Spurs
10. Johnny Davis - Washington Wizards
─
The cards are quite simple, with a treated image of the player accompanied by the iconic "PANTONE®" wordmark, a fictional color name reminiscent of the city and the corresponding hex code. The solid backgrounds feature images fitting for each team (e.g the OKC Thunder has lightning). I kept the skin of each player black and white to preserve the uniformity of the collection and to eliminate the distraction of colored skin tones. As a personal addition, I also included a pixelated, black-stroked gradient of a complimentary color at the bottom right of each card.
THE INSPIRATION
Back in the 1950's, Pantone was the corporation that invented a proprietary color matching system for the printing industry. Since then, they have established themselves as the industry standard for dyes, pigments, and other colorants. This ensures that a certain color will be consistent when cross-referenced from Pantone's matching system with various ink, paint, and other product brands. Think of it as the Oxford dictionary of colors.
Their minimalistic layouts and usage of Helvetica as the main typeface served as my source of inspiration for this project.
THE COLLECTION
This project was like a breath of fresh air for me, as it's an appropriate contrast from my typical complex, abstract artwork. I spent a few days in its conceptualization and execution. Here I present PANTONE x NBA Draft 2022 for your viewing and consumption.
Enjoy!
