National Hockey League Willie O'Ree Banner
THE CLIENT:
National Hockey League (NHL)
MY ROLE:
Lead Graphic Designer at Artists For Humanity (AFH)
THE CHALLENGE:
The National Hockey League (NHL) commissioned AFH’s Graphic Design Studio to design a large-scale banner demonstrating the impact of sports giant and NHL Diversity Ambassador Willie O’Ree on the game of hockey—as well as his core values of teamwork, perseverance, dedication, and respect for all—to be used in a Boston-area hockey rink. The NHL loved AFH’s designs so much that they decided to create a whole run of banners to be showcased in hockey rinks throughout the country. The challenge for any wall graphic is always anticipating how your design will translate from your small notebook and computer screen into a printed piece spanning a large area. In this case, our design needed to span an area of ten feet—so that was really important to keep in mind.
THE SOLUTION:
Our Graphic Design Studio’s artwork depicts Willie O’Ree’s first game in a Boston Bruins’ uniform, as well as O’Ree’s legacy of coaching and mentorship. One of O’Ree’s many contributions to increasing diversity in the field of hockey is a community mentorship program called Hockey is for Everyone™ which uses the game of hockey, and the National Hockey League's global influence, to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities.
AFH’s design celebrates the program’s motto, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t you’re right,” through a collage of archival photography and contemporary typography.
Sixty years ago, Willie O’Ree became the first black player in the National Hockey League. He is currently the NHL’s Diversity Ambassador and has dedicated his career to using the League’s influence to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities through his Hockey is for Everyone™ initiative. It is for this reason that the National Hockey League hired us to design a graphic banner that would set the scene for honoring former NHL player, and longtime mentor, Willie O’Ree. After meeting with the NHL to learn about their vision, we began our process by researching the life of Willie O’Ree, his career as a hockey player in the NHL, and his contribution to the community by fostering diversity in hockey.
THE SOLUTION:
We used everything we learned as background for the visual elements. By sourcing a number of archival photographs of Mr. O’Ree playing in the NHL, along with recent photographs of O’Ree working with young hockey players, we came up with a collaged layout celebrating his inspiring story. A really important design element is Mr. O’Ree’s quote, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right,” because it speaks to the power of cultural visibility as well the importance of personal perseverance. From our research, we found that the numbers of hockey players and hockey fans belonging to minority populations are very low. The Hockey is for Everyone™ initiative seeks to change that by creating more intentional spaces, fostering communities, and promoting better financial options (such as subsidizing the price of hockey equipment, which is often a prohibitive cost for low-income young people) to increase diversity in the sport.
