{"id":5673,"date":"2015-12-18T11:51:36","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T11:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/?p=5673"},"modified":"2023-09-08T13:41:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T13:41:38","slug":"lebron-james-is-now-a-typeface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.designmantic.com\/blog\/lebron-james-is-now-a-typeface\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James is Now a Typeface"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, we discussed how Pepsi\u2019s foray into the Smartphone race<\/a> is a disaster waiting to happen. Today\u2019s post starts off with a lighter note; basketball star LeBron James\u2019s foray into typeface. The player already has everything from a logo, sneakers and clothing<\/a> to his name. And now, LeBron \u201cThe King\u201d James has a typeface. Yes, you read right. The MVP player for the Cleveland Cavaliers signed a lifetime contract<\/a> with Nike and the brand decided to set its claim in stone by giving the basketball star a font to claim as his own. The stylized lettering is based on the professional basketball player\u2019s line of sneakers and seems to take cue from James\u2019s existing logo; a block like \u201cL\u201d accompanied by a similarly styled \u201cJ.\u201d James\u2019s kingly title can be seen in the form of a crown hovering over the design. Here it is \u2013<\/p>\n

Make A Logo Design<\/a><\/div>\n

\"lebron\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here is the new typeface in action –<\/p>\n

\"lebron-james-typeface\"<\/a>
\nImage Source: Sawdust<\/a><\/p>\n

As you can see the typeface, created by Sawdust<\/a>, takes inspiration from James\u2019s logo and has a similar stately appearance. Nike will probably be using the new typeface to promote all LeBron James merchandise.<\/p>\n

The creators at Sawdust chose to adapt James\u2019s \u201ckingly\u201d persona to his typeface as co-owner Rob Gonzales explains, \u201cWe also wanted it to have a sense of sense of \u2018kingliness\u2019. Some of the ways we managed to achieve this was by having powerful sweeping serifs, which had a feeling of heritage \u2013 bold and sharp in style, yet graceful \u2013 all of this while trying to have a refined and regal edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fit for a King<\/h2>\n

Why is everyone going crazy over the typeface of one of the NBA\u2019s top scorers? LeBron James is considered to be one of the biggest names in basketball<\/a>. A post on Stltoday.com<\/a> says that \u201ca handful of cities are throwing themselves at his feet\u201d for a chance to sign him up for their teams. The 6\u20198\u201d player has won four NBA MVP awards and two NBA championships. The resultant typeface looks as athletic, broad and commanding as well.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, the font suits LeBron\u2019s title of \u201cThe King\u201d quite splendidly. And our panelists agree. Our panelists for today will discuss how the font\u2019s style impressively mimics James\u2019s own reputation as a star athlete<\/p>\n

\u2022 AJ Delinger<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Tech writer<\/p>\n

\u2022 Margaret Rhodes<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 Staff writer at WIRED<\/p>\n

Here is what our panelists have to say about the MVP\u2019s new typeface \u2013<\/p>\n

\"AJ<\/a><\/p>\n

AJ Delinger explains how LeBron James\u2019s new font represents the player\u2019s achievements so far –<\/p>\n

 \u201c\u2026the font style takes its cue from the existing LBJ23 logo \u2026The font also draws from James himself. An anomaly on the court, the extremely athletic and high flying superstar moves with grace and exceptional vision\u2026James sports a hybrid style of strength and finesse that has rarely been seen in the league prior to his debut,\u2026netting him two NBA titles and four MVP awards. With all this in mind Sawdust built a boxy, slick font that will be used to represent James.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Margaret<\/a><\/p>\n

Margaret Rhodes explains that James isn\u2019t the first athlete whose accomplishments and fame netted him his own font –<\/p>\n

 \u201cIt must be strange to see yourself personified as a set of bold letterforms, but James isn\u2019t even the first athlete that Sawdust has whipped into a typeface; prior to this commission, Nike had them do the same for Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy Redman<\/h3>\n
\n

Nike Creates A \u2018Kingly\u2019 Typeface Fit For Basketball Superstar LeBron James – https:\/\/t.co\/W12pM3FHby<\/a> #typography<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/gvcdJapunN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Andy Redman (@RedmanAndy) December 8, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n