Clippers unveil their rebranding for next season

Ballmer wanted a monogram-style mark that would play internationally, Gillian Zucker, president of business operations for the Clippers and Intuit Dome, told ESPN. Even amid the overall criticism of the logo, the team learned that fans liked the idea of a semi-stacked "LA" mark -- with the "A" sitting atop and within the lower leg of the capital "L."

With fans expressing such affection for the name -- derived from clipper ships and naval vessels that dot the coast off of San Diego, the team's original California home -- team officials decided it was best to keep the name and tether any new art to it. They wanted a makeover that would stay true to the Clippers' traditional name, colors and iconography.

Focus groups and respondents to those fan surveys repeatedly expressed optimism that the franchise was in good hands under Ballmer, officials said.

"People said this a hundred times -- 'This team has direction now,'" Zucker said. "They said it over and over."

The concept of direction -- of forward momentum -- struck a chord. The result is a sharp new primary icon mixing the motifs of a compass and a naval ship:

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The color scheme is mostly classic Clippers, though with a new emphasis on navy blue. The ship is the centerpiece. There may be some snark about its semblance to a swimming shark, but the team is probably OK with that. They wanted the ship to look menacing -- as if it were coming straight at you, officials said.

The ship also helped the team preempt any potential copyright claims from Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners, who have used compass imagery on their art, per league sources.

The outer edges of the ship's sails curve, mimicking actual sails in the wind. The font is inspired by the typeface often used on the hulls of gray naval vessels, the team said.

The two colored rings on the global logo -- red on the outside, powder blue on the inside -- offer nice touches of color. They were the brainchild of Christopher Arena, the NBA's head of on-court and brand partnerships, who felt the art needed some brighter pops, officials said.

That logo will shine at center stage on the Clippers' new court at Intuit Dome:

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