Venice Basketball League
Design Direction
The Venice Basketball League (VBL) is a vibrant annual tournament held on the legendary courts of Venice Beach, CA. In partnership with Puma, VBL stages more than 150 games each season across over 20 events, blending entertainment, art, and culture into an extraordinary basketball experience.
VBL collaborated with Ben Loiz Studio to reimagine their 2024 Puma apparel collection, using it as the foundation to create a distinct visual style for the summer tournament.
Design Development
The overarching theme for the 2024 VBL season, envisioned by its founder Nick Ansom, was “Veniceball National Park.” This theme embodies the League’s commitment to environmental awareness, seamlessly integrating these core values into the design concept. The season’s focus on sustainability and natural beauty reflects the VBL’s dedication to leaving the court (and the planet) better than you found it.
With this theme as our north star, we began by developing design elements and creating a comprehensive 30-page sponsorship deck. The deck was designed to announce the season, introduce the visual identity, and attract significant interest from potential sponsors and partners.
As draft day and the start of the season approached, we created flyers, posters, and digital assets that appeared on city streets and across social media.
Social Media
We designed a comprehensive set of social media materials for their online advertising and communications. This included announcements, weekly schedules, player of the week cards, statistics, live updates and performances, team standings, and playoff brackets to support the Venice Basketball League events throughout the season.
The designs were crafted as Figma templates, allowing their in-house team to easily update them on a regular basis.
Backboards + Buckets
On game days at the VBL, the Hoopbus is parked court side on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, adding to the energetic environment. Kids and fans alike were able to hop on the bus and also get up some buckets of their own!
We decked out the Hoopbus and the main court with custom backboard graphics that capture the spirit of the Veniceball National Park theme — immersing everyone in the fun and energy of the event.
Banners + Boards
Surrounding the court, we designed a variety of A-frame banners and sandwich board signs to capture attention and highlight the league, as well as partners and sponsors.
Signs were also created to draw awareness to the Veniceball merch tent, which attracted fans from around the globe eager to take home a piece of the VBL experience. The displays amplified the excitement and added to the dynamic atmosphere of the Venice Basketball League games.
Veniceball Gear
Throughout the season, the Veniceball merch tent was set up to offer a range of exclusive apparel and accessories. Ben Loiz Studio designed a collection of items including T-shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, and hats, along with product hang tags and size labels. These items quickly became popular and were worn by referees, professional players, and enthusiastic fans.
The Final Buzzer
Veniceball National Park was an unforgettable experience merging environmental consciousness with the vibrant energy of street ball. The design direction translated this concept into an immersive experience, making the 2024 VBL a true celebration of both worlds.