The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the SPHL are on track for a memorable campaign after launching new logos and jerseys in time for their 10th season.
The Rail Yard Dawgs unleashed the new identity during an event with fans at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia, on Wednesday, July 9. The package was designed by Fooser Sports Design, a firm that has worked on several minor league baseball identities, mainly Copa de la Diversión alternate looks, and is the creative force behind the National Lacrosse League’s unBOXed program.
The new primary logo depicts a smiling dog wearing a train engineer’s striped hat, overalls and gloves while carrying a hockey stick and a sledgehammer. In front of the dog is a wordmark that emphasizes “DAWGS” in a beveled serif block front, with “RAIL YARD” above and “ROANOKE” below. Stars are a big theme throughout the logo, appearing on the dog’s hat, between “RAIL” and “YARD”, and on either side of “ROANOKE.”
The identity package include a bevy of secondary and tertiary logos, including a roundel logo, three different views of the dog’s head — in one, he’s biting a hockey stick — two featuring the initials “RYD” and one with “ROANOKE” arched over a multicoloured star fashioned after the city’s Mill Mountain Star.
[The new identity features] cleaner lines and a more modern aesthetic. While updated, the new logos continue to reflect key elements of the Dawgs’ identity — most notably, Roanoke’s iconic star and the region’s rich railroad history.
— Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs
The Rail Yard Dawgs also unveiled a 10th anniversary logo on Wednesday, with two sledgehammers crossed behind a beveled white numeral 10 and a gold banner draped across the bottoms of the sledgehammer handles.
As for jerseys, the white sweater has the roundel logo on the front and blue squared-off shoulders with white and yellow bordering stripes. The sleeves and waist have broad blue and yellow stripes separated by a narrow white stripe, with blue panels underneath.
The blue sweater puts the primary logo front and centre while maintaining the blue shoulders, though with the stripe colours flipped. On the waist and sleeves, the position and size of the blue and white stripes are reversed. Both jerseys have the secondary Mill Mountain Star logo on the shoulders.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will kick off their 10th SPHL season on Friday, October 17, against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
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