Let’s face it, many sports logos and brands have become such an integral part of everyday life for so many people that we would struggle to imagine life without them.
Whether it is a tick on our chest or some stripes running down the sides of our shorts, sports branding and especially logos are one of the most powerful marketing tools out there.
Aside from the classic established names, there are some incredible new sports logos that look all set to become a part of the general sporting landscape.
Here are just some of the logos that you are either already seeing on clothing and websites or are about to in the coming weeks and months.
Seattle Kraken Suckers NHL Fans
When it was announced that the NHL would be awarding Seattle with an expansion franchise the news was generally met with enthusiasm in most quarters.
However, when the team then unveiled their name and logo opinion was divided, as a giant mythological sea monster seemed too outlandish for some and wonderfully wild for others.
The logo itself, shaped as a giant “S” with an octopus tentacle reaching up through it, has hit a chord with local fans who are already excited for the team’s launch in the NHL 21/22 season. So far, the club’s merchandise is flying out of its warehouse, which is a sure sign that the logo is on point.
The NHL is full of wacky team names and logos, but the Kraken takes things to a whole new level
If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It
The key for many of the best new sports logos is utilising what the old logo already does well and simply refining it in some way, so that it looks fresh and modern.
This has been successfully done by the English Premier League, who kept their brand’s coveted crown-wearing lion but gave the beast a contemporary sheen. Another angle to take is to create an ad campaign around a pre-existing logo, giving the same logo a new direction or meaning for users, as has recently been done by PokerStars and even the WWE.
The Premier League’s branding shake-up was barely noticed by fans, who accepted the change without question, showing that the campaign was an undoubted success
New York, Melbourne, and Manchester City
Modern-day football clubs are like business conglomerates rather than local pillars of the community, with many owning feeder clubs based in all four corners of the world and having the clout to overturn decisions made by the sport’s biggest governing bodies.
One of the largest of these corporations is the network of clubs owned by Manchester City’s Arab backers, who also have control of MLS side New York City, Australian outfit Melbourne City, as well as the original Sky Blues from the north of England.
The obvious name similarities aside, all three clubs’ logos have been shaped in the image of the Manchester side, with the US and Aussie sides getting the clout of a Premier League team behind them and the Pep Guardiola’s men gaining much needed global exposure in return.
US Open Tennis Gets an Update
Anyone who tuned into the US Open at Flushing Meadows this summer may or may not have noticed the grand slam tournament’s subtle but effective logo switch.
Gone is the convoluted old logo that was struggling to gain brand recognition online and in its place is a simplified and bold logo made up of a speeding yellow ball set against a blue backdrop.
Head to YouTube or any of the US Open’s other social media feeds and you will see the marked difference, that brings it in line with other already well branded grand slam events such as Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
F1 Races Ahead of the Competition
When the F1 racing organisation decided to update their logo hardcore fans were aghast at what they saw as a garish monstrosity that looked like it had come out of a sci-fi movie.
Fast forward a few months, though, and it becomes clear that the new logo was all part of a strategy to combine the real-life racing series with its partner eSports series, a move that has paid almost immediate dividends.
