So the National Hockey League cancels an entire season, becoming the first "major" sport to ever do so, losing most of their fans in the process. And now that they're back, of course, one of the first things they do is change their logo.
Great, now I need to buy all new gear, since my "I Love the NHL" shirt is outdated.
You bet.
In all seriousness, I don't own an "I Love the NHL" shirt. That would be the ultimate in non-committal fandom, not having a favorite team, so you just wear generic clothing with the league's logo on it because you root for everyone. Dammit, I'll take a stand and tell who I root for.
The NFL.
Now, the logo itself is not a huge change from the old one. I wouldn't be surprised if part of the genesis for this re-brand is a DC Comics-inspired thing (as one reader commented in our discussion of their new logo), because this new logo will look better in video games and on TV. I'd imagine the gradient will sparkle and maybe even have a cheesy ice-skate "cling" sound when the sparkle climaxes.
Gone is the orange-and-black color palate; in is the silver and black shield with a gradient applied to it so it looks 3-D for the kids. Because 3-D is cool and automatically makes you hip, even when you're not.
The color scheme doesn't bother me, even though I do like orange and am sad to see it go. In fact, I'm glad in a morbid lookey-loo kind of way, because I bet Raiders owner Al Davis will sue them now, since in a lawsuit against the Carolina Panthers, Gangsta Al attempted to establish that Silver and Black are the exclusive property of the Oakland Raiders...
What does bother me is the type going bottom-to-top. In the old logo, the type was naturally flowing, left-to-right and top-to-bottom. Your eye follows everything in the logo, and its a pleasant experience. "Thank you, NHL logo, for flowing so nicely like a mountain stream, my eyes aren't even tired from the voyage."
I can guess what the marketing geniuses at the NHL said when they suggested the change -- make it flow upward, so everyone subconsciously believes the league itself is moving upward! Even though our ratings are lower than "Watching Paint Dry" on HGTV! -- but the old one went down for a reason. Bottom-to-top is hard for the eye to read. At least, it is for me.
Maybe I'm the only one. I also listen to Duran Duran and Journey, so it wouldn't the first time I'm the only one on something.
I can sit here all day and make fun of this logo, but I'm curious what other more studious designers think of this thing. Eh?
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