Like the iconic neon signs for the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel or the Staten Island Ferry, the theme art for the 2022 US Open is immediate, stylish and totally New York.
Against a solid background, the minimalist design features the phrase “US OPEN” dead-center, emerging vertically from Arthur Ashe Stadium. The tournament name is flanked by the Statue of Liberty on the left and the Chrysler Building on the right, but separated from those structures by two diverging lines that resemble something like a megaphone. Above the illustrated skyline hovers a horizontal "2022": The zero is relegated to the background and bolded in yellow, like a tennis ball.
The resulting design conjures ideas of instantly recognizable New York imagery and signage, but remains unique, fresh and — perhaps above all else — exciting. Its message clearly ties into the US Open's advertising campaign for 2022, which can be found on LED monitors in subway stations and cars throughout the five boroughs: "Spectacular awaits."
“One thing that became very important about it was making sure that the art was clean and simple and a quick read,” said Nathan Goldman, co-founder of DKNG — the design studio that created the art. “So it was this process of distilling down lots of different ideas to its simplest form.”
Goldman and his business partner Dan Kuhlken, DKNG's other co-founder, have worked together as DKNG since 2005, but they’ve known each other since childhood as students at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, Calif. As teenagers, they bonded over a shared passion for music, and even collaborated in a band.
“I think that clicked something in our heads that we could more than just make music together,” Kuhlken said, explaining how the idea for a design studio began in earnest while the two were in college. “We could make art.”
Almost two decades later, DKNG has created a wide variety of high-profile projects, including posters for musicians such as Pete Seeger and Dave Matthews and screen prints for Star Wars: Rogue One. Last year, the studio illustrated limited edition Clif Bar packaging for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that highlighted six different women athletes from a variety of sports, including tennis star Venus Williams.
The studio began working on the design for this year’s US Open almost a year ago. Initially, the USTA selected a number of portfolios for consideration. Only several studios were offered the opportunity to pitch and create concept art.
DKNG and the USTA discussed the various themes, locations and ideas that the artwork could and should express: the excitement of an in-person event as the world reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic; Arthur Ashe Stadium’s 25th anniversary; iconic New York City landmarks, such as the Chrysler Building and the Statue of Liberty.
“We pitched a bunch of different ideas, trying to keep things New York-centric,” Goldman said, citing concepts that ranged from Central Park transforming into a sports stadium to the framework of a tennis court that contained the New York skyline.
For inspiration, the pair looked at the rich history of US Open theme art from the last several decades.
“You just see from decade to decade how art is approached,” Kuhlken said, noting how photographs slowly gave way to graphic design and illustrations. “It was really helping us understand where the direction of US Open art is going. And so that was definitely very exciting to be chosen, because you just see this huge body of work that’s growing, and this huge evolution that’s going in this really exciting direction.”
“It was like, ‘OK, how do we rise to the occasion and approach this in a way that’s our own and also not redoing anything from the past?’” Goldman said.
Using applications including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Procreate, DKNG drafted several versions and incorporated different elements before finalizing the imagery in May.
The approved design includes a number of details intended to give “a sense of the excitement of being in New York City [that] translates to being on the grounds of the US Open,” he said. The neon, for example, reflects the city’s nightlife – and “the buzz and excitement of being at a party or festival.”
The design will adorn the official program, posters, and other available merchandise, which can be purchased through the US Open's website.
Goldman and Kuhlken recognize that their contributions are part of a much larger tradition that will continue for decades.
“It was great to see that an event like the US Open puts so much value in art like this,” Goldman said while reflecting on the six months from concept to creation. “It would be easy for a big sporting event to skip this whole process of doing theme art and hiring artists every year.”
Added Kuhlken: “We’re completely and utterly honored to be part of it because we realize that this is going to go on for many years to come. And to just be put into the timeline of this is a huge, huge pleasure."
