Eastern Washington University and Hoopfest have a long partnership, and 2020 marked the first year of EWU commitment as a Major Sponsor of Hoopfest. Last year, EWU helped us get ready for the thousands of volunteers that come to Spokane to be part of the action. Although the weekend didn’t turn out according to plan, EWU continues to support the mission of Spokane Hoopfest, and we are delighted that they are a part of the action for another year in a row. EWU even donated three of their own backboards to allow their Design students to express their creativity!
Did you know that local artists are often the ones making these backboards and other Hoopfest designs? Hoopfest has worked with Propaganda Creative, a design company based out of Spokane with the mission of building compelling brands that connect. Propaganda created the creative assets for Hoopfest 2020, giving Hoopfest a clear image to display to the public. Co-owner Jason Clerget is an EWU Design program alumni, and he they learned while attending school at EWU has set him up for success in his own business ventures post-graduation.
“Eastern has a fantastic program, but ultimately your success will depend on your effort,” Clerget said. “Two more hours a day compounds quickly, earning you almost another month/year from your peers. When you put in the time, it shows, and as a byproduct, you end up developing a strong work ethic.”
Three EWU Design students and artists Delaney Umemoto, Matthew Barden and Tannor Glumbick put this mentality into action for designing backboards for Hoopfest in 2020. The three designers each put in countless hours into creating unique backboards for Hoopfest weekend which will now be featured in 2021. Check out their designs and what the artists’ ideas were behind the creation of the backboards:
Matthew Barden: “I thought about what pops into my head when I think about EWU. To me it was immediately the color red and the signature logo. So what I wanted to create was a cool pattern that can be eye catching but yet sporty. This led me to the final product you see.”
You can follow Barden on his social media pages to keep up with what he designs next. His instagram is @barden_designs and his Twitter is @Matt_Barden_6.
Tannor Glumbik: “When designing this Hoopfest backboard for Eastern Washington University, I set two goals: create a practical backboard for the player and a design that showcases EWU in a simplistic yet robust manner. After researching the correct dimensions for the inner rectangle — that way the players would have an accurate reference point for a lay-in, lay-up, and other shots — I positioned the Eastern Eagle as if it were carrying the ball into the hoop. Moving into the background space, I was inspired by the diamond tread pattern that you can find on many toolboxes in truck beds. Using this inspiration, I arranged the Eastern Eagle in a rotating, square pattern. Altogether, this design is for both the Hoopfest player and Eastern Washington University.”
Delaney Umemoto: “My inspiration for the backboard came from some basketball posters and commercials. I knew I wanted to involve swoop on the board some way or another. I originally had him in a different pose but then decided I wanted an action shot instead. Sam had sent me some photos of Swoop to reference, one of them being him running with the flag which I thought was perfect.”
