The many unexpected jerseys of Rip City

Jack Moran wasn't prepared for the Blazers to be this good, either

Jersey concepts courtesy of Jack Moran.

PORTLAND — Jack Moran wasn’t upset Portland kept winning — far from it, actually.

The graphic designer is a lifelong fan of the Blazers. He’s from Portland, graduated from UO in 2012 and has spent the better part of the last decade working in internal design for Nike. But when you’re the guy who has promised to design a new jersey concept after every Portland win, well, things can get a bit busy when a team expected to contend for the lottery rattles off wins in 10 of 11 games, like the Blazers did last month.

“I try to stay at least five games ahead of the curve so I have a little bit of a bank,” Moran said. “And during that winning streak, I was down to only one or two left.”

If you’re a Portland fan and you’re online, you’ve likely seen Moran’s work at some point. After each of the Blazers’ wins the last two seasons, Moran has fired off a new concept to his social media accounts.

Some jerseys are slight deviations from Portland’s current black, white and red palette. Others, such as his Bill Walton/Grateful Dead tribute or the one featuring the logo of Dave’s Killer Bread, are a little more out there. It’s a way for Moran to scratch his creative itch, one that was inspired by Boston designer Pete Rogers, who began a similar quest with the Celtics three seasons ago.

“I’ve been designing conceptual jerseys and logos and things like that for years, but him kind of taking the initiative and posting after every win inspired me to do the same,” Moran said. “The difference is he’s been doing it for the Celtics, so he’s had to design like 150 jerseys.”

The Portland Trail Blazers are not the Boston Celtics. Last year, Moran only had to create 21 jerseys for a squad that finished with the worst record in the Western Conference. And for much of this season, Moran was able to create around the same leisurely pace. He said the actual work each one of these designs takes is about 30 minutes, which, of course, can vary depending on his particular idea or inspiration.

Some come easy. Some he’s not as happy with. But when the team was winning only one out of every four games, it wasn’t a time-consuming lift. That’s changed as of late, with Portland already surging past last year’s win total with 23 games left to play.

“I try not to bog myself down because I do have a day job,” he said. “It was a little easier last season, but with the Blazers winning almost 30 games already this season, it’s been a little bit tough.”

Like any artist, Moran sometimes worries that he’s going to run out of ideas. With each passing win, with each jersey taken from the bank and posted online, the pressure mounts to keep coming up with something new and original.

Granted, it’s not the worst problem to have for a Portlander who appreciates the home team playing good ball.

“I think that my best jerseys are behind me,” he said. “I get comments sometimes like, ‘Wow, how do you keep one-upping yourself?’ I don’t think I am, but some people think I am, which is great to hear.

“I’m afraid I’ve already kind of used my A game.”

He says that, but then the Blazers win, like they did Wednesday night with a 129-121 win over Washington, and he still manages to uncork something like this, inspired by the I-5 Corridor’s own Enchanted Forest.

“I’m local. I grew up here. I’m very familiar with local brands and iconography,” he said. “Inspiration comes from everywhere.”

— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor