DESIGNING A CHAMPIONSHIP KIT
Our Design Philosophy
How does design tie into the professionalism of Ultimate? To grow the sport, we believe that uniforms should be showcased in the most professional look and feel possible while keeping the spirit of each team's identity alive. As media coverage of Ultimate expands to the broader world, we want any club or school to feel proud to wear their uniforms.
University of North Carolina Pleiades
Pleiades - a team with championship aspirations each year - came to us with a mission to perform in a kit that aligned with their goals. They started by filling out our Design Realization document with team logos, colors, and preferred fonts. Being from North Carolina, the blue had to be incorporated. Additionally, they requested a clean, professional look that could align with other clubs at their school. This was essential since we know the sport of Ultimate can struggle to achieve the same perceived legitimacy compared to most college club sports.
The key pieces we had to work with:
-> Seven sisters
-> State logo with stars
-> North Carolina Blue
-> Clean Black base
-> Fun alternate option
LET'S START DESIGNING
1 YEAR UNTIL 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - A FREE JERSEY
Pleiades completed our Free Jersey for College Captains form, where we design, create and send a jersey in the team's style to the captain for only the price of shipping.
The idea is to allow teams a chance to test-drive our offering, from start to finish, and potentially come up with a fresh new design for a new season ahead.
After a video call with our Customer Success rep, our design team created three different designs that started to work in elements based on the team's requests. The three versions are detailed below:
Version 1: Fading star pattern under team namePopular navy trim on sleeves and bottom of jersey, accented by a blue color palette
Version 2: Volleyball-inspired faded paneling on the sides and sleeves, popular with many volleyball teamsCleaner front design.
Version 3: (chosen by the team): Refinement of Version 1, with logos simplifiedCleaner presentation of the stars
From the initial creation of the reigning champs jerseys in 2022 to the evolution of their new kits and fun alternate jerseys in 2024 BE has been honored to work with such an incredible team.
NEW SEASON. NEW IDEAS.
5 MONTHS UNTIL 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
Despite the cancelled 2021 Spring Championship, the team committed to working with us for the new season. After a positive reception of the jersey itself, the team shared some new design ideas for the full team uniforms and we got straight to work.
Version 1: Heavily inspired by the team's 2019 design
Version 2: First implementation of an argyle pattern, similar to ones found in other UNC Club Teams designs
Version 3: Light version of the above, with slight adjustments of color and fonts and playing with an accent neck panel
THE FINISHED PRODUCT
2 MONTHS UNTIL 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
With the 2021 Fall Season approaching fast, we locked in on a final set of Lights and Darks that the team were really excited about.
> Changed base jersey color to navy, with accenting colors of white and light blue
> Matching argyle seams down the entire side of the jersey
> Slimmer, refined font for player name
> A classic soccer-style presentation of the front elements; including logos, team name and player number
Pleiades went on to put in one of the most dominant Nationals performances in recent history, winning the Championship game 15-6 over Washington Element and we were honored to have the team representing our brand on the biggest stage.
Now they are on to defend their title in a few short weeks.
BUILDING A LEGACY
From 2021 to 2023 The Pleiades have brought the same valent effort just with a redefined and upgraded look! We are excited to see what 2024 will bring for this trailblazing team!
Over the past 3 seasons UNC is breaking records and wowing the Ultimate Community. In 2023 they conquered their 3rd straight USAU College Nationals victory, a true testament to the determination these players and coaches have year or year.
The team efforts are undeniable and the UNC program continues to produce top athletes and league leaders that help push the overall success. In 2023 Ella Juengst won D-1 college offensive player of the year, Alex Barnett won player of the year and they won coaches of the year. Now that's a well rounded team!
Check out their highlight reel from 2023 and we are excited to see what 2024 will bring with new kits and the same winning spirit.
WHAT'S NEW IN 2024
We spoke to our Sales team to get the inside scoop on what the Pleiades had in mind for their 2024 look.
They came to us with some new inspiration drawings to spark the BE team's creatively. The Pleiades continue to carry over key components like the Carolina Blue to stay true to UNC tradition year over year. To get started on their vision they gave us a clear foundation
"For the light and dark, we’re doing this baseball inspired design...for the text color we would like to use the same Carolina blue that we used for the white jersey last year"
They were a bit unsure about the font so left that up to our designers.
With a strong vision in mind the BE design team can take your ideas and bring them to life! We were excited to bring some new 2024 flair but also keep the familiar timeless style that they all know and love. Check out the results in the slideshow images.
Moving on to the new alternates, this is where the team had some fun! The inspiration was from the Miami Heat jerseys, pulling a playful combo of color and letter style. An alternate jersey gives the team the freedom to go a little more off script and diversify from a traditional school or program look.
Design tips
As you've seen done here, pulling inspiration from other sports is an awesome way to get the gears turning when it comes to your next design. While we cannot copy exactly, we can create a customized version that captures the essence of your inspiration while making it your very own. There's lots of awesome designs out there, don't be afraid to pull ideas from some of your favorites!
