Elements of Good Logo Design: 21 Exceptional Sports Logos
August 31st, 2009 by
Logos are what represent your company, product, business, or even yourself. They are the primary way to communicate to the world your business’s personality, identity, essence, and individuality. There are two types of logos: logomarks are symbol-based logos, and logotypes of logos that are made up of artist typography. The latter has become increasing more popular with the explosion of Web 2.0. But, no matter what type of logo it is, it must abide by certain essential elements that make a logo exceptional, and these elements should be considered in the planning and executing process of the logo design. A successful logo should encompass these elements in order to effectively do its job. In this post, we will briefly recap the elements of a superior logo design, and since football season is in full fling, and everyone love sports, I have selected a few sports logos from Football, Baseball, and Basketball that I think abide by these essential elements. Enjoy looking at examples of exceptional sports franchise logos! Please feel free to comment, tweet us, add your favorites, or pass this along to friends!
The Elements of a Good Logo Design
Timeless
The logo must be timeless, meaning that it should not be designed with any sort of fad or style that is likely to go out of style. When you are designing a logo, try to make the logo as enduring as possible through the many years and many styles of “in” it will pass through. The best logos are the ones that looked good fifteen years ago, and they still are extraordinary today.
Simple
A great logo design has to be simple. Many designers think that you must make ornate and complicated logos for it to be good, but actually the most successful ones are the most simple, straightforward, and sharp. You can see the logos below are generally very simple, but they really captivate and appeal to the eye.
Unique
Being unique is key to a successful logo design, because the logo is the identity of your company. Therefore, you must take the time to be creative, imaginative, and original. Notice the logos below are all uniquely different, and all have their own personality and flare.
Consistent
Nothing is worst than an inconsistent logo design. I have seen on many occasions where the logo in one part of the world looks one way and in another part of the world looks differently. In addition, I have seen where companies have too many different logos that can confuse the target audience. Even if the look is slightly off, it is noticeable and it makes it look poorly designed. Try to be consistent with the logo, so make sure it is not manipulated even slightly.
Immediate and Lasting Impression
A logo must make an immediate and lasting impression with the audience. A successful logo is one where a person sees it once, and will remember it forever as associated with that business or entity. All of the logos below possess that quality; in fact, I do not even need to label these logos and I am sure that the high majority of readers will be able to recogonize the majority of the logos! That shows that they have created a lasting impression on the viewers!
Appealing
Another element of good logo design is the audience appeal element. The audience must find the logo interesting, appealing, and alluring for it to truly be successful. I always suggest that designers do a test run of a logo with a select target audience to see the reaction; if it is not a positive reaction, change it. The logos below are very appealling and generally have a high percentage of positive reviews from sports fans! I agree!
Shows Proper Image
A successful and effectual logo will properly and accurately convey the image and personality of the business or entity it is representing. Some logos are great in all other aspects, and I find them very exceptionally designed and constructed, but they do not properly express the business’s personality, so I think I would rule it unsuccessful. It must do its job of representing the general company image.
Comprehensible and Logical
This one may be last, but it is equally as important. The logo must be understood by the target audience; therefore, you must not use symbols, colors, or ideas which your audience will not understand. Also, try not to go overboard with the hidden message or clever logos, because many times, though original, may not be understood, thus are worthless. So, try to make a logo that can be understand by the average person to make sure it will be successful!
Sample Sports Logos that Encompass the Elements of Good Logo Design
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Indy Colts
San Antonio Spurs
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburg Steelers
Seattle Mariners
Los Angeles Angels
Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Braves
New York Nets
Green Bay Packers
Miami Heat
Boston Red Sox
Oakland A’s
Indiana Pacers
Chicago Cubs
All Star Game
Major League Baseball
Teylor Feliz is a well-known XHTML/CSS/JavaScript enthusiast from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He has more than 10 years experience in the computer programming and development world, including 2 years teaching computer science. He is currently living in Louisiana, where he plans to complete his degree in Computer Science, and begin a Masters in the field.
Logos are sometimes taken for granted and a lot of thought, research and effort has to go into creating a dynamic logo that captures the essence of the business or in this case sports. You have broken down the essence of what a logo should be.
You show some nice design here, but let’s be honest, some are so poorly designed, they would NOT be chosen again today (at least not from me..).
Examples: Indy colts (boring plus not even showing right imagery), red sox (boring and cheesy) and steelers.
@JTM
I completely agree with you. There are a few that are not exceptional logos outside of the sports world, but they still do the trick and they still meet the elements of a good design. As cheesy as the Red Sox logo is, it is clever, gives a lasting impression, appealing, simple, logical, and sticks with the targert audience. You have to remember the target audience. Sports fans are not looking for exceptionally artistic design. Only a few of these would be considered great outside the sports world, but in the world of sports, these do their job! That is for sure!
Thanks for the comment!
No NBA logo? I’m not the biggest NBA fan, but that logo is certainly a brilliant piece of graphic design. Jerry West taking it down the court in Red White and Blue. Come on?
@VItaminCM
Yeah, I do love that NBA logo, but it is so much like the MLB one that I did not want to be repetitive. Plus, I cannot include every logo. I guess my Dominican blood put the MLB one over the NBA one
Thanks for the comment.
some decent choices, but no NY Yankees logo? There isn’t a sports logo that is more recognizable than the interlocking NY, that is world-renowned, not just here in the US. And btw… they’re the “New Jersey” Nets now… since 1976
wow nice and awesome logo
Regards http://www.logostrike.com
I love the Saints logo the Best!!!
Not only great logo, but a GREAT TEAM!!!! Hope they will the Super Bowl!!
Good tips. Thanks for sharing
Sandy @http://logodesignguru.wordpress.com/