The 2021 NBA All-Star game has only just ended, but the league has already revealed the logo for next year's event in Cleveland, Ohio. And while it's a slightly dull affair that follows the same template as the last five logos, it features one rather conspicuous absence – much to the relief of some fans.
With Cleveland seen as the birthplace of Rock and Roll, it's become an all-too familiar trope to feature a guitar on logos for events in the city. But while many were dreading a guitar-based NBA All-Star 2022 design, it wasn't to be. This one won't be hitting our best logos list any time soon, but hey – no guitar.
(Image credit: NBA)
The internet has grown somewhat tired of guitar-themed logos for events in Cleveland, with designs for the 2019 MLB All-Star game and the previous 1997 NBA All-Star game featuring the instrument. When the logo for the former was revealed, cleveland.com announced, "We have a guitar fetish. Our civic leaders need to admit it and seek some counselling."
NBA says the designers took logo inspiration from the land and architecture of the city. The design features the iconic Terminal Tower on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, as well as three stars for the three Cleveland-hosted NBA All-Star games (1981, 1997 and now 2022).
Clearly, the new logo isn't exactly earth-shattering. It follows the exact same template as the last four designs: NBA logo to the left, a large “ALL-STAR” word mark to the right and the host city name listed below. But, as sportslogos.net points out, "it’s at least good to see creative types moving outside the idea of rock and roll for Cleveland."
The last five logos have looked very similar (Image credit: sportslogos.net)
But rather than disappointed about the unimaginative new logo, it seems Twitter is simply relieved not to see a single guitar in sight:
Waking up to find out there’s no guitar in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game logo was a real treat today.March 8, 2021
A city that has a treasure trove of interesting architecture & symbols and at no point someone was like "Slap a guitar on it".Bravo, @NBA All-Star Game 22 logo designers. https://t.co/KJ7TWnSpDAMarch 9, 2021
It's curious to see a rather bland logo described as "brave" (above), but hey – people were really fed up of those guitars. If you fancy creating something a little more exciting than this new NBA offering, our guide to logo design has you covered.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.
