Rin 188 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 It's been a while since the league needed to expand into four new franchises from the ground up, but still recent enough that I remember being around when things were being prepared. As was the process for VHLM logos as well, a group of people would comb through a few websites that hosted pre-made mascot logos and decide which ones were usable enough for the incoming franchises. At the time, it was a perceived limitation that we needed to pick something premade and ready to go, as we didn't have anyone within the community to go to for something custom. As such, we ended up with a number of franchises whose only inspiration was the availability of the logo; the Predators, Phantoms, etc were born of this mindset. However, if we were willing to spend money to grab a premade logo from a site that had them in bulk, we could have just as easily hopped on Fiverr and used the money for something a bit more custom or tailored to a vision. I wish I could have suggested it at the time, but with a few reference images and shitty drawings, I've been able to get some logos together for other projects that feel a lot more close to the creative idea at large. Every team started as a concept or an idea that was tied to their location, and having the ability to request a logo specifically for that purpose adds so much to the experience. I feel like we maybe could have put some better thought into a few teams from the ground level, releasing them with a cool little story and connection to the places they're from. I could also just be naive to some of the thought behind certain team branding. Obviously, the Halifax 21st have a very specific tie to the city, and the Las Vegas Aces have been reworked from the most generic gambling reference imaginable to a double-entendre that recognizes the city's rich history in aviation. The Chicago Phoenix are (a bit loosely, maybe retroactively) tied to the great Chicago fire, so on and so forth. If I'm missing any more of the cool stories behind team names, I'd really love to be corrected because I find that shit super fascinating. Forever and always, though, fuck the stupid esports text in logos. Looks super cheap, a good logo really shouldn't need a big "TEAM NAME" text in the middle of it. LucyXpher and tcookie 2 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustav 6,579 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 1 hour ago, Rin said: If I'm missing any more of the cool stories behind team names, I'd really love to be corrected because I find that shit super fascinating. Off the top of my head, Calgary has a cool tie to their team concept. "LA Stars" also works well as a nod to the film industry. In the M, the Ottawa Lynx share a name with a former minor league baseball team and Miami works really well as a team concept because of an extensive history of piracy around Florida. I'm not immediately aware of other things for other teams though. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/#findComment-1052178 Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcookie 986 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 2 hours ago, Rin said: Forever and always, though, fuck the stupid esports text in logos. Looks super cheap, a good logo really shouldn't need a big "TEAM NAME" text in the middle of it. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/#findComment-1052179 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rin 188 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 23 hours ago, Gustav said: Off the top of my head, Calgary has a cool tie to their team concept. "LA Stars" also works well as a nod to the film industry. In the M, the Ottawa Lynx share a name with a former minor league baseball team and Miami works really well as a team concept because of an extensive history of piracy around Florida. I'm not immediately aware of other things for other teams though. Okay, that Calgary tie is cool as fuck. I wonder if that was intentional; I know the Wranglers branding has been around longer than most. I did think about bringing up LA, since the "Stars" moniker is fitting for exactly that reason, but I didn't want to turn my .com article into a surprise media spot LOL The Lynx being a former minor league team is really cool though, I love that. Keeping tradition going, in a way. Miami is one that has always made sense since it's so close to the ocean, and that anchor logo honestly just fucks. Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/#findComment-1052297 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyXpher 1,773 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 On 2/10/2025 at 9:30 PM, Rin said: Forever and always, though, fuck the stupid esports text in logos. Looks super cheap, a good logo really shouldn't need a big "TEAM NAME" text in the middle of it. I don't disagree... I love the Nighthawks logo, but I'm not a super fan of the wordmark tbh Rin 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/#findComment-1052304 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rin 188 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 8 minutes ago, LucyXpher said: I don't disagree... I love the Nighthawks logo, but I'm not a super fan of the wordmark tbh 100% agree-- I really like the shape of the head and the silhouette of the logo overall, it looks right at home on the front of a jersey. Perfectly good logo ruined because it needed a nametag for some reason... LucyXpher 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/154704-vhl-branding-is-a-mixed-bag/#findComment-1052306 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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