The Simplification of NFL Team Logos
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are familiar with (from sportslogos.net). Again, the transformation of Green
Bay’s logo is one of simplification as it moved from the iconic to the symbolic.
The white oval “G” framed against a hunter green background creates the
brightness contrast necessary for good television viewing in the 1960s. Several
other teams use the Packers’ circular oval shape (Bears, Steelers, Redskins,
49ers, Rams). In most of the logos, the circle serves as a frame or boundary for
the logo. In the case of the circular “C” of the Chicago Bears and the circular
ram’s horn of the St. Louis Rams, the circle is the most important element of the
logo. The circle symbolically connotes unity and wholeness—keys to team
success and the simplicity of the logo itself.
Washington Redskins
Notwithstanding the controversy about using Native-American names and
imagery, the Washington Redskins’ logo has gone through numerous changes
since the 1930s (see Eitzen & Zinn, 2001; Pewewardy, 2004). The image that
occurs most often is the head of a Native American with most of their logos
remaining iconic (the one exception is the 1970-71 logo using the “R” in the
circle instead of the head). Vince Lombardi, who left the Packers to coach the
Redskins, influenced the design of the 1970-71 “R” logo. He wanted a logo
similar to the Packers and thus the design change. Lombardi died, howe ver,
before he could coach the Redskins using this logo (from sportslogos.net).
Directionally, the head and other logos have a left-to-right orientation, although
there was some experimentation in 1982 with the head facing the other way. The
story told about this logo is that the equipment manager had such a difficult time
applying the straight feathers of the previous logo designs that he went for an
easier option (see Creamer’s website at sportslogos.net for this story). But, with
the suggestion of the National Football League, the logo was switched back to
the left-to-right direction the next year. As either a profile of a Native American
or a spear with feather, the logo for the Redskins remained primarily iconic
throughout the years. However, a cleaner, simpler use of line drawing emerged
in the 1960s.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have moved from city to city over the years. This alone has
challenged the team and their logo design. Their first logo, when they were in
Chicago in the 1920s and 30s, was similar to that of both the Bears and the
baseball Cubs. It was ineffective and did not present a separate and unique
personality for the football team. The 1947 logo helped make that transition to a
team, different from other Chicago teams, with a red cardinal overlaid onto a
line-drawn football. They moved to St. Louis in 1960 and the logo became the
cardinal bird head much like what we see today. This branding stuck with the
team with their move to Arizona. A slight change was made in 2005 to darken
the outline of the logo and make the bird look angrier by furrowing its brow
more deeply. The darkened outline helped to create a sense of contrast and set
the logo off from the team’s white helmet. Again we see a transition to a