Philadelphia freedom

[ SPORTS BRANDING ]

[ LOGO SYSTEMS ]

[ CUSTOM TYPOGRAPHY ]

YEAR

Fall 2025

INSTRUCTOR

Joe Bosack

Philadelphia Freedom is a speculative branding project imagining the 2030 launch of a WNBA franchise in Philadelphia. Rooted in the city’s deep basketball history and intense sports culture, the franchise showcases how a women’s team could establish legitimacy, pride, and long-term cultural presence in a city known for passionate fandom.

The goal was to create a bold, timeless identity that reflects Philadelphia’s grit, resilience, and civic pride while supporting the growing visibility of women’s sports. The project examines how visual identity can act as a rallying symbol, helping build emotional connection, fan culture, and momentum around a new women’s franchise from day one.

process

The process began with a visual audit of the WNBA and NBA landscapes, focusing on modern franchise rebrands, expansion brands and the gritty legacy of Philadelphia’s existing sports franchises. This research sought to identify what feels "inherently Philly" beyond the usual landmarks. Extensive sketching led to a conceptual breakthrough centered on Benjamin Franklin’s kite and key experiment. Rather than a literal historical tribute, the identity focuses on the raw electricity and daring spirit Franklin felt when he decided to chase lightning. This resulted in a brand system rooted in the lightning bolt, the key, and the kite, symbolizing the high-voltage energy and inventive spark that defines the city.

A sleeveless basketball jersey on a plain background, colored mainly light blue with navy and yellow accents, showing bold “PHILA” lettering and a stylized lightning design on the front.
A white and navy basketball warm-up jacket with light blue trim and a bold “P” lightning-inspired logo on the left chest, displayed flat against a dark blue background.
Matching dark blue basketball warmup tracksuit. "FREEDOM" in light blue custom type going vertically up right zipper of the top. WNBA and Nike logo on the right pocket of the pants.
Close-up of a player’s feet on a basketball court wearing blue A’One basketball shoes and white crew socks with “P” lightning logo, with the hardwood floor visible beneath.
A single rectangular event credential badge with blue, yellow, and navy “PHL” lightning-inspired branding appears to float above a basketball court, lit with dramatic, cinematic arena lighting in the background.
A light blue and dark blue snapback baseball-style hat with a bright yellow lightning bolt graphic on the left side and a yellow and blue stylized “F” key logo on the front, shown against a plain light gray background.
A close-up photo of an enamel pin featuring the Philadelphia freedom logo, outlined in gold metal, set against a plain light gray background.
Back of man holding basketball under his arm in a dark blue T-shirt featuring white custom lettering reading “Philly is locked in, est. 2030” with a yellow “F” key logo beneath, photographed in an urban outdoor setting.
Back view of a man standing inside a subway car near the closed doors, wearing a distressed gray T-shirt with a blue kite logo and yellow custom “FREEDOM” lettering on the back, with the train interior visible around him.
WNBA “PHL Freedom” poster with two players’ faces split by a yellow lightning bolt, displayed on a graffiti-covered wall.
Large digital billboard on the side of a modern building reading “Everyone watches women’s sports” beside the PHL Freedom lightning logo, with blue lightning graphics across a black background.
Exterior of Xfinity Mobile Arena with a large digital billboard displaying the PHL Freedom lightning logo, under a clear blue sky with flags flying in front of the building. 
Arena &
Game Day

A key focus of this project was designing arena mockups, imagining how the identity would live in a real game-day environment. Xfinity Mobile Arena, expected to be the future home of Philadelphia’s WNBA franchise, served as the primary setting—both as a realistic context for the brand and as the arena that originally made me fall in love with live sports (RIP Wells Fargo).

Row of navy courtside folding chairs branded “Philadelphia Freedom,” each with the team’s diamond logo on the backrest, lined up along the sideline of a basketball court.
Blue Philadelphia Freedom towel with yellow lightning bolt patterns and the “PHL Freedom” key logo in the center, shown waving against a neutral background.
Overhead view of a packed basketball arena featuring a light blue Philadelphia Freedom court with the PHL Freedom logo at center court, branded sidelines, and WNBA markings.
Three blue locker stalls branded with the PHL Freedom lightning logo, each topped with yellow nameplates reading Sarah Strong, Kahleah Copper, and Napheesa Collier.
Step-and-repeat backdrop on stands featuring repeating Xfinity text and PHL Freedom lightning and kite logos on a navy background.
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