Logos are vital to the energy a sports team wishes to evoke. A solid logo can be timeless, creating a legacy that will prevail with the onset of new generations of sports fans. However, such is the same when logos go awry. Poorly designed logos prevent people from connecting with the team for a variety of reasons. Below, we take a look at some of the logos that have gone wrong in the sports industry and why these serve as poor examples of well-designed logos. As unfortunate as these cases may be, it’s imperative to know what an inferior logo entails in order to avoid mistakes like these in the future. Here we go…
The Toronto Maple Leafs, 1920s (NHL)
The Toronto Maple Leafs franchise was founded back in 1917, making it one of the oldest NHL teams in existence. Unfortunately, with the launch of the classic team, came a logo that was rather questionable. By the 1920s, the team had a logo that mimics its current one, but with elements that were clearly off and unattractive. The leaf itself was distorted and appeared comical, unfortunately misrepresenting the Canadian symbol. This led the team and its marketing staff to revamp the logo with a newer look that made us finally believe it was indeed a maple leaf.
The Detroit Tigers, 1920s (MLB)
When coming across any reputable page with logos of mobile gaming sites, you can find strong and aesthetically pleasing logos related to some of the best no deposit mobile slots sites today. The logos are clearly meant to encourage the player to strive for more, get them to feel energized and, obviously, make them feel happy. In that vein, The Detroit Tigers logo of the late 1920s completely missed the mark and failed where these mobile sites logos succeed. The logo was brash and unsettling to the viewer. The tiger itself appeared unwell and evoked a sense of confusion and uneasiness for fans of the team. Needless to say, the team has come a long way in improving their logo and making it that much more appealing for fans.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, 1960s (MLB)
It wasn’t clear if the team was trying to be funny at the time, but the Pittsburgh Pirate logo of the 1960s was anything but. What came across as a regular unshaven man dressed up as a pirate, was meant to be the team’s logo, and fans just didn’t seem to jive well with it. It came across as poorly thought-out design that was put together haphazardly. Luckily, marketers for the team took to pen and paper once again to revamp the logo and bring some respectability to the team once again.
The Denver Broncos, 1960s (AFL)
Denver’s team logo was just confusing, incorporating a poorly drawn out image with a bizarre theme. The logo appears to be depicting a man in football gear riding a small horse. However, the dimensions of both characters, the color scheme, as well as, the ambiguity of the entire drawing led to a logo that was not well-received by fans. In fact, this logo proves that less really is more. As a result, the team quickly took to redesigning their logo to create a simplified and clearer image that has finally garnered the respect of their fans.
Logos can often make or break a team and these four examples prove that poorly designed logos can lead fans astray. The energy evoked by a well-designed logo can help connect fans with their beloved teams. Let’s hope the sports industry has finally learned from their mistakes!