Silvabrand | Chicago Sky
Silva Brand

Chicago Sky

The 2021 WNBA Champions needed a major-league brand.

The Challenge

The Chicago Sky, the WNBA champs and the first independently owned team in the league, needed a new logo. After making four consecutive playoff appearances, including its WNBA Finals debut in 2014, the leadership reached out to us to discuss how to give the team the image of a major-league sports franchise.

Insight

WNBA logos are often visually weak with icons that look dated and an uncontrolled approach to colors and typography; furthermore, legibility is an issue for many of them, especially important because the logo is used in so many ways—across apparel, merch, signage displays, court floors, ads, ticket stubs, etc. Overall, NBA brands offered a better model in terms of branding that feels stylish and contemporary and registers well across all uses.

The Answer

We conducted a full Brand Discovery, analyzing competitors, auditing the current brand, and producing new messaging. Working with the Sky team and our design partner, David Day & Associates, the resulting logo mark is dynamic and contemporary, celebrating Chicago’s world-famous architecture.

After extensive research, our team created a logo that meets the quality of a major sports brand and one that elegantly evokes Chicago.

The new Sky brand has become a familiar sight in Chicago, showcased in high-profile downtown locations.
Billboard of the Chicago Sky campaign using the new logo.
Posters for Chicago Sky showing off the new logo and merchandise.

"The new Chicago Sky logo brought a fresh and dynamic new look for our team and has been extremely well received by our fans. Starting a project like this can always seem daunting, but the design team with Silva Brand took the time to understand our needs and were forward-thinking and collaborative throughout the process. The process could not have been smoother."


ADAM FOX, PRESIDENT AND CEO
Portrait of Adam Fox, President and CEO of Chicago Sky.