Pentagram has designed the identity, title sequence and other graphics for Last Chance U: Basketball, a Netflix documentary sports series from director Greg Whiteley, the Emmy award-winning creator of Cheer and Last Chance U.
The five seasons of the original “Last Chance U” followed college football teams. The new series in the franchise moves to basketball, chronicling the East Los Angeles College Huskies’ quest for the 2019-2020 state championship under the guidance of Coach John Mosley.
The logo plays off the series’ title and setting with strong black-and-white typography inspired by collegiate lettering and the top of the arc at the three-point line on a basketball court. In the opening titles, the type interacts with the athletes, integrated into footage with a depth of field that makes it part of the environment.
The type had to be bold enough to stand up to the action and stories on screen. The design team also created the player scorecards with stats and signatures that are used to introduce the individual members of the team as they appear in the show.
The elegant use of typography is intentionally similar to the graphics for Cheer and Wrestlers, which were also designed by Pentagram, to link the series and create a graphic signature for producer-director Greg Whiteley, who created all three shows. While the Cheer type is graceful and angular to reflect the poise and athleticism of the cheerleaders, and the Wrestlers type is forceful and flashy like the wrestlers’ personalities, the Last Chance U letterforms are condensed, tall and big, like the basketball players themselves.
