PBC Lokomotiv Kuban, the professional basketball club based in Krasnodar, Russia, unveiled its current logo and full visual identity package in June 2018 for the 2018/2019 season. The redesign was developed by the Quberten Studio, with Mikhail Antipin serving as chief designer. The club’s official colors are red, green, and white.[1][2]
Design and History
According to the club’s official announcement, the 2018 logo was based on a modern sports design approach directed at simplification and minimalism. The club stated that the new mark kept the traditions of the Lokomotiv sports society while standing out among other Lokomotiv clubs.[1]
Club president Andrey Vedishchev explained that the previous logo had become outdated relative to current sports design trends and needed modernization. A closed tender for graphic designers was held, followed by several months of work on an improved version of the club emblem.[3]
Quberten Studio, which documented the project, identified specific problems with the old logo: the letter “L” was not obvious and could easily be confused with a “D” due to its trapezoidal shape; the logo was unstable and tilted to the right; and the sign and lettering were combined, making the emblem overloaded. The studio corrected these shortcomings in the new emblem, which it described as strict and moderately brutal, qualities it considered good for a sports club.[4]
The redesign extended beyond the primary logo into a broader identity system. Quberten developed additional sub-logos, lettering variations, custom typography for player numbers and names, and the design applied to the game uniform. The studio noted that Lokomotiv was the only basketball team in Russia with such a wide identity package at the time.[4][5]
The club also introduced a signature hand gesture forming the monogram “LK” for Loko Kuban, a feature the studio described as rare for Russian sports teams.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Quberten studio explained that the main logos of clubs within the Lokomotiv sports society are united by a classic, recognizable construction that maintains continuity and tradition. The basketball club’s previous emblem fell outside this shared concept, which the redesign aimed to correct.[4]
The new identity also introduced a color scheme change for game uniforms. The club switched to playing in a red kit in the VTB United League and a green kit in European competition, reversing the previous arrangement. The uniforms were described as executed in the club’s native red-and-green railway colors.[4][6]
Typography and Design
As part of the identity system, Quberten developed a custom package of numbers and corporate lettering for player jerseys. The studio stated that these typographic elements were geometrically synchronized with the letter “L” from the logo, making the connection between the type and the emblem explicit and reinforcing the club’s style.[4]
The club’s official website also provides downloadable versions of the full-color logo in Russian-language versions for use on white and black backgrounds.[7]
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