Contrary to our various modern sports, the ancient Roman people would really love to have savage sports tournaments. There used to be strong gladiators in thick armors fighting against starved lions in the Colosseum full with excited spectators. There was also Chariot horse racing, another deadly sports game. All the bloody sports were then depicted on the estate walls. Do you think it’s the same thing with our sports logos today?
The answer is, no, not even close. Yes, they held real competitions but they weren’t advanced enough to produce stuff like logos for each of the team. In fact, the audience themselves couldn’t even guess who were competing until the winner’s face was revealed. However, today, the sports nature has changed, especially the Olympics. You will even see each of the team players wear what we call sports logos, on their jerseys.
The Meaning Behind Sports Logos
Logos are here, there, and everywhere. In terms of mechanism, company/business logos are used to promote the brand, the products, and the services. You will find it nearly 100% different with the sports logos. A sports logo usually focuses on the teamwork, the passion, history, identity, as well as the culture of a sports team.
Companies deliver their business messages through their logos while sports teams use their logos to compete each other. That explains why they commonly show off their mascots, colors, motifs, typography, and other visuals that can give off vibes of uniqueness and strength.
Important Elements in Designing a Unique Sports Logo
Apart from its attractive visuals, a sports logo is more than meets the eye. It delivers multiple meanings through its combination of typeface, size, color palette, shape, icon, and/or mascot. Therefore, if you need to design some sports logos, here are several elements you have to remember.
1. Focus on the sports and the simplicity
Most designers do know how important an intelligible and simple design is. As a matter of fact, simplicity should actually be the main focus of a designer when it comes to designing any kinds of logo. Learn the basics of each type of sports to get to a simple idea that can be mind-blowing to the audience. NFL (National Football League) logo is an example of how simplicity can be awesome, especially in front of competitors.
2. Versatility & adaptability are a must
The key is to keep your mind and knowledge updated, even beyond the time you are in. Either it is simple or contemporary, it’s safe enough to say your logo has the quality of being timeless and versatile. A great example is the logo of Dallas Cowboy that symbolize “The Lone Star.”
3. Emphasize on the uniqueness
Imitating a rival’s sports logo to follow their success is a bad idea; no, sorry, it’s terrible! Just be yourself, be original, and be one of a kind. That way, you will get more respect and your logo will be memorable to the audience. A great example is the logo of Major League Baseball. You may as well picture the team mascot—let’s say a bear—on the logo to make it as your team identity.
4. Synchronize between dynamism & motion
Sports are actually all about motion and dynamism. Therefore, you can capture the motion of your sport on your logo. Let’s say your sport is baseball, you can picture a swinging bat or a ball hit by a bat, etc. if you want an animal icon on your logo, an eagle has a good correlation with motion and dynamism.
5. Say it from your heart with caps & bold fonts
Sports are identical with action and robustness. Hence, sports logos should represent those two qualities as well. Opt for thick, bold, and firm fonts in caps-lock rather than the thin and ‘hand-written’ ones like script font.
6. Never underestimate the power of colors
Did you know that colors have some sort of subconscious impact making each of them triggers different emotion? Any colors can make or break your logo, so you’re better be wise in selecting the right colors. As a hint, red, white, and blue with thick black outlines are mostly used on logos of any types of sport.
7. Great finishing elements
The layout, the spaces in the edges of the logo, the sizes of the fonts, the outlines, the details, and so on are all the finishing touches of any logos. They seem to be small stuff but they remain important. Keep being open-minded and create more captivating designs with these essential elements!
There are many free, instant logo makers you can use to create awesome and unique sports logos. Some of which are designmantic , BrandCrowd, and PlaceIt, where you get to focus more on sports logo design. Now, go create some great ones!
