Oct. 06--When the Bulls take the United Center floor for their exhibition opener Tuesday night against the Bucks, something will be different besides the coach.
The court.
The Bulls recently unveiled a new court design, joining several NBA teams who have updated their hardwood. The most significant change is the Bulls' head at center court, which has increased in size by 75 percent.
According to information provided by the organization, the Bulls have wanted to update the court for "a few years." But since courts are only sanded down and refinished every three to four years, this offseason marked their first opportunity to do so.
The Bulls' in-house design team designed the new look, a department led by Jon Shoemaker, director of creative services. The overall idea, the team said, "was to update the court but still maintain the strong Bulls' brand and traditional look."
The center court logo of a basketball had not changed since the United Center first opened in 1994. Removing the basketball and increasing the size of the Bulls' head logo to a size as large as the franchise felt it could make it sets the tone for the new design.
Additionally, the baseline font of "CHICAGO BULLS" got changed. Previously, the court featured Futura Extra bold font, which isn't used anywhere else in the team's branding. The new font is consistent with the Bulls' logo.
The court also features four stars from the Chicago flag on the south apron, a "little touch that only people in the arena will see," according to the team. The organization said it represents "a nod to our city and to our branding campaign of 'Chicago Basketball.'"
Other changes are relatively small---making all of the lines black "to reinforce the red and black color scheme." The old court featured mostly white lines, with the 3-point line in red. Changing all markings to black creates a consistent, cleaner look, according to the team.
