The Simplification of NFL Team Logos
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gave teams (Turner’s Atlanta Braves and the Tribune's Chicago Cubs) national
exposure. Baseball executives, fearing the erosion of their fan base at the hands
of the Superstations, have tried to halt their growth for years. Superstations and
national television contracts in major sports franchises have done significant
damage to the sports logo as a sign of allegiance. And every new logo and
uniform change means a new line of collectible items. Instead of showing
loyalty to a team by supporting the players, fans show loyalty by buying the
latest shirts and hats. Tony Spaeth (1993), an image design consultant for
corporations and the advertising industry, noted the trend toward simplification
of logos in corporate America during the 1990s; as logos emphasized more than
brand identity alone, it became imperative that they also conveyed a corporate
identity. Researchers discovered that consumers responded to companies that
not only conveyed a sense of sound management, but also made this image clear
in their identity.
Brilliantly executed re-branding, according to Spaeth (2005), can revive,
refresh, and renew corporate spirits, as well as those, presumably, of
professional sports franchises. Although the consuming public may assume that
they are the priority audience for logo changes, often the employees of the
franchise are at least as important if not more so. Two themes are particularly
clear in today’s identity changes. One is focus, either narrower or simply clearer
and a more openly expressed focus. A second trend is change for the sake of
change, to shake up things, usually among employees (1994). Perhaps a logo,
then, is best understood as the manifestation of a leader’s vision.
Methodology
The aesthetic characteristics of sports logos examined in this study include
the elements of color, line, shape, direction, simplicity, complexity, and
symbolic aspects with attention to changes in design over time. The study used
Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos website (http://www.sportslogos.net/). Creamer,
himself a logo enthusiast and designer for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey
team, relies on sports fans who are interested in logos to contribute to the site
and maintain its integrity. From Creamer’s website, 12 National Football League
(NFL) teams and their logos were selected for analysis: New York Giants,
Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins,
Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts,
San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, and Detroit Lions.1 These teams were
chosen because they existed before the television broadcasts of the 1960s and
still exist today. In this way, we could track changes in each team’s logo design,
while making inferences based on the historical events in question.
In addition to examining the aesthetics of the logos, we sought expert
analysis from representatives of the teams. Of all the teams we tried contacting,
the Chicago Bears were the only organization to reply. George H. McCaskey,
senior director of ticket operations for the team and “unofficial team historian,”
is compiling a history of the Bears’ uniform. His mother, Virginia Halas