Happy Hoops Day is a New Zealand boutique urban clothing brand that celebrates one of the fastest growing sports in the world: basketball. We’re here for everybody on the fringes of the basketball world, not just weekend warriors or diehard fans.

It is well-understood that Kiwis have a unique sense of humour — they have just the right amount of weird in them. So, the design objective was simple: build a striking visual identity with a tongue-in-cheek personality that speaks to multicultural audiences. The design strategy was anchored to Happy Hoops Day’s values: positivity and diversity. To boost relatability, brand language needed to come across authentic, grassroots and most importantly: irreverent. 

The central message of Happy Hoops Day is ‘Always having fun’. Fresh out of the box like a new pair of sneakers, the visual identity comes alive with vivid energy, wit, colour and punch that smacks you like a hearty chest pass. In true Polynesian fashion there is no ‘playing it cool’ — the colour system, tone of voice and specifically the logo are intentionally loud-mouthed, tongue-in-cheek and deliver on the brand’s personality: youthful, optimistic, vibrant and fun. The design tension to balance was to not over design everything to look like a Drake concert.

This ballsy design strategy allows for just the right amount of basketball subculture references and meme-ability. Basketball, political parody and popular culture provide great visual fodder and endless creative opportunities for a ‘woke’ audience.

If content is king, then the throne must be orange. The identity extends through social media — to where the raving fans reside. The Happy Hoops Day community is built around sharing the love of the game and all the best moments about it: when the net goes ‘swish’, the sound of squeaky shoes on a hardwood floor, the water bottle chug at halftime, the feeling of making the right pass, the swagger on the street and of course, the brotherhood. In addition, Soundcloud playlists generate even more interactions and enhance the stickiness of the brand. 

Happy Hoops Day communicates with impact across all design collateral with exactly the right amount of Kiwi wit and warmth and reminds us to take the game seriously, but not ourselves.