Some Thoughts On The New Texas Tech Adidas Partnership And Logos

Texas Tech has done a big reveal of their new partnership with Adidas and I found the logos a bit confusing. We are working together, right?

The Reveal

Guess what? I liked that big piece of masking tape with the "handwritten" Adidas on it. I thought it was cool, edgy, and something to hang on to. After all, I work in a music genre that grew up with kids drawing the cooler band logos on their book covers and folders. I mean, wouldn't it be nice if every kid who wanted to support the brand would make tags? The tape though, was a "cover" for the real logo(s) which I found a bit weird.

The Logos

The Adidas logo is pretty identifiable, it's the pyramid with three strips. I prefer the leaf with three stripes, but still people know the brand. The problem is the Patrick Mahomes' logo. I'm certain those of you firmly entrenched in the world of sports know it, but it may be a little too hip for the room. At first I thought it had something to do with Wutang Clan, then I thought, "Is that a helmet or an off button?", then I figured out it was a stylized "P" and "M" (It is actually supposed to be a "gladiator" logo). Don't forget, I'm in Patrick Mahomes' country and I didn't get it, so I don't know how many people outside of here will understand it. The other thing is, the two logos are so wildly disparate that they don't seem to belong together.

The Deal

The logos will all take us some time to get used to. We will also have plenty of time with a 10-year deal being in place. Also, Tech would be foolish not to capitalize on the Patrick Mahomes' brand even if his personal design is a little wonky. Hopefully some graphic designer can come up with a cool way for all three logos to be displayed in a much less awkward way.

Closing It Out

My apologies if you came here looking for the dollars and cents/sense of the deal. That information is reported everywhere. I'm more interested in whether this branding will provide nice outreach for the University (which ultimate makes $$$). I certainly wouldn't bet against it.