With the completion of a 5-year site transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and the 50th anniversary of the Open era, 2018 was a celebratory year for the US Open. With that momentum, it was undeniably the appropriate year to reimagine the visual identity of the US Open in a contemporary way to appeal to broader audiences. 

From recognition to typography, the previous logo had many challenges. The new mark, and corresponding brand colors and fonts, needed to reflect the premium nature of the event as well as appeal to younger audiences. It had to be impactful and recognizable in large formats such as the stadium's back wall - but also maintain versatility in order to scale to a small digital format such as a mobile app icon. 

The USTA commissioned a study that showed only 9% of respondents could correctly identify the previous US Open trademark, a driving statistic that lead to a brand refresh.

 With an eye on the future, the new mark had to appeal to a younger audience while maintaining the core essence of the entertainment and tennis brand.

Given the nature of the event, it was important that the logo effectively translate across a variety of properties, sizes, and media. From a youth T-shirt to a champagne flute, it needed to be distinctive and memorable.

The new mark is an evolution of the flaming ball idea, distilled to its essence to work as a simple icon. The symbol—a fresh and innovative way to represent a tennis ball— is paired with an italic, lowercase sans serif typography, with the name held together by a flipped “u” and an “n.” The result expresses the energy, spirit, and velocity of the flaming tennis ball and the US Open itself, while modernizing the look, providing a more youthful appeal, and optimizing the identity for applications on everything from apps and Instagram to billboards, print ads, and merchandise.

The new logo launched in March of 2018 and rolled through the US Open Tennis Championship in August of the same year. It effortlessly carried visual impact on all aspects of the tournament including the highly-televised tennis court back wall, world-wide broadcast graphics and on-site signage. It was easily adaptable for the mobile app, easily stitched for merchandise, and easily utilized on advertising. In the areas where the previous logo faced challenges, such as visibility on colored backgrounds, the new mark retains a powerful aesthetic.