When artist and designer Dan Stiles began working on concepts for the 2020 US Open theme art, he started with some research.
“I looked at a lot of other tennis posters going back a hundred years,” said Stiles, whose final submission was, in fact, chosen. “Tennis has a long history of posters, whether you’re talking about the US Open or some of the European tournaments. But a lot of them are frankly quite similar. I was trying to figure out a way to still use recognizable symbols, so people would obviously know that it’s for the US Open, but try to do it in a unique way.”
The centerpiece of Stiles’ theme art is a tennis ball, but the color-filled streaks that trail the ball’s path breathe life into the image.
“What I was trying to bring across is a sense of dynamism,” said Stiles. “It’s action, it’s movement. It’s the ball coming towards you.”
Despite the unusual circumstances of this year’s US Open, with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theme art will get its usual treatment. It will be displayed at entrances to Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and throughout the grounds. It will be featured on the cover of the 2020 US Open program and on merchandise available beginning Aug. 10 on the US Open shop website.
“It was really an honor to be asked to be part of that tradition."
The theme art will also be animated (it can be viewed when opening the US Open app, set to launch before the tournament begins). The streaks of color particularly lend themselves to the animated version, symbolizing not only the movement of the ball but also a train on its way to Flushing Meadows and perhaps the New York City skyline.
Ironically, though Stiles’ work was finished long before the pandemic forced a nationwide shutdown, the bouncing ball can also be seen as a symbol of the country bouncing back. While it wasn’t his intention, that interpretation works just fine for Stiles.
“I do like the bouncing back,” he said. “Oftentimes, the way this works is that people come up with the tagline first and then the graphic, but you can do it the other way around. You can make a cool logo and then write a good story around that logo.”
This is Stiles’ first foray into tennis art. He’s done work for the X Games and Nike, but he’s best known for his work in the music business – particularly rock posters. Stiles considers himself an amateur poster historian. He was very impressed with the visual history of tennis.
“It was really an honor to be asked to be part of that tradition,” he said. “It’s sort of like getting asked to do something for the Grateful Dead. You may not be a Grateful Dead fan but you are aware of the fact that the Grateful Dead have this long history of amazing art and it’s an honor to be included.”
Stiles said it’s unfortunate that not as many people will see his work as would have if fans were allowed to attend the event.
“I’m a little bummed that it’s happening in this virtual manner and I’m not going to get to see the rollout,” he said. “I’m really glad I got to do it in spite of the bizarre circumstances.”
Want to take the art of this year's Open with you on the go? Download the official theme art in cell phone wallpaper format by clicking here.
