Chicago Bulls NFT Project Allows Web3 Artists To Redesign Iconic Logo
From Michael Jordan’s infamous Game 6 crossover to Demar DeRozan’s game-winning threes, the Chicago Bulls have a knack for delivering in crunchtime. As we build through a crypto winter, the team has once again delivered when it matters most with a benevolent NFT project that reminds us of the virtue this space can bring.
The project — titled “The Aurochs” — tasked 23 different web3 artists to recreate the Bulls logo in a creative way. Each piece will be auctioned off in a 24-hour window starting Sept 22 through Coinbase NFT.
In true NFT fashion, no two pieces are even close to looking alike.
“We really didn’t give the artists any direction,” says Luka Dukich, the Executive Director of Content Strategy for the Chicago Bulls and a key figure in the project. “We kind of just told them to run with the Bulls logo.”
Putting the iconic Chicago Bulls brand in the hands of 23 talented artists and letting them work was perhaps the best decision the team could have made. Some artists created video animations while others hand drew the NFT.
Image credit: Sophie Sturdevant
Photographer Zoe Rain even went to a farm to make a real-life bull the subject of a photoshoot.
If nothing else, NFTs have assisted many people in understanding the importance of art and creativity.
“There’s a lot of stuff that hasn’t been real in this space,” says Luka Dukich. “But one thing that’s undeniably real is how the blockchain has affected the lives of digital artists.”
For Dukich and the Bulls, artists were the top priority in this project. The team identified NFTs as a way to finally compensate creatives for their work. Dukich mentioned that multiple artists told him that they have been able to quit their day jobs because of money they’ve made from NFTs.
Rewarding artists creates an exciting future ahead of us. As more creatives are able to be fairly compensated for their work, they’ll be more incentivized to innovate and push the envelope forward. This is perhaps best exemplified by “The Aurochs” project.
Image credit: GxngYxng x Bulls: The Chicxgo Bulls
An auroch is the earliest ancestor of a bull. The team deliberately chose this animal to remind NFT fanatics that if they’re here, they’re early in the space.
The NBA is credited for being one of the earliest adopters of NFTs with NBA Top Shot. Even within the league’s progressive ecosystem, the Bulls have positioned themselves as early believers of the NFT space. “The Aurochs” isn’t even the team's first project; they released a legacy collection with NFTs representing each of their championship rings last year.
But when asked about the importance of being early, Dukich shed the question and instead focused on the importance of doing projects the right way.
More than ever, intention matters in the NFT space. With so many brands viewing the ecosystem as a quick way to make money, it’s a breath of fresh air to see an iconic sports team get into the space for all the right reasons.
Image credit: Blake Jamieson x Bulls: BULLS UPGRAD3
Here’s a list of all 23 artists that made this project possible:
Check out the drop here.
