Awesome Sports Logos Blog

Review of the 2016 NBA All Star Logo

 

 

 

The New NHL All Star Logo is Awesome

I don't know how many people will watch the NHL All-Star Game. Whatever the number is, I'm sure there will be more people who see the game's logo, but less people who actually appreciate it for what it is. 

 

Columbus isn't exactly hockey heaven, but the home of the Blue Jackets was supposed to host the game in 2013 before a lockout eliminated the festivities from the schedule. With the Olympics banging the game in 2014, the Blue Jackets, re-awarded the event, will host the NHL's first all-star game since 2012. 

For the All-Star Game, a star in this logo is fitting as well as incorporating the elements of the team's logo. Planted at the base of the logo with similarly colored silver hockey sticks diagonally crossing in the background, the star shines in this setup. 

The Ohio state flag is a great piece of the team's logo but an even greater piece for an All-Star Game. The game is a melting pot of hockey elite from all over so that the logo shows off its location really makes a difference. The Columbus Blue Jackets are identified as such The All-Star Game is not the Columbus NHL All-Star Game. Sure, Columbus gets mentioned plenty, but it's a qualifier and that's for those who consume the live media coverage of it. Fifteen years from now, if you took the Columbus text out of the logo, you could identify the host city because of the flag. Plus, hailing from Texas, a state that waves its flag more proudly and more often than any other state (I think), I approve of flag demonstration to show state pride. 

I think the flag smoothly blends in through artistic license and creates a backdrop that allows the NHL logo and 'All-Star Game' text to feel like it is apart of the logo and not a part of the logo. 

Take a second and look at the logo. Look at it as a whole. What do you notice? Anything? 

Look again...

Do you notice a "C"? While the circular area within a "C" is filled in, the overall shape of the logo's bulk creates a "C", which, yet again, represents Columbus. I like and appreciate that.

Bonus points for substituting the hyphen in All-Star with a star. 

Bonus points because you can never go wrong with featuring red, white, and blue. Sure, they are the Blue Jackets colors but the game also takes place in the states. 

What a great logo. I'm a big fan of it for several reasons and appropriately bang my stick against the boards for the folks who drummed this baby up. 

You know what else I’m a big fan of? The Awesome Sports Logos T-shirt of the Month Club. With a few short steps, you can get someone a creative gift that they’ll be loving for months to come. Now that’s an awesome gift this holiday season!

Thanks as always for reading.

Jared Sandler

Awesome Sports Logos Columnist

Does the MLB All Star Logo Get Our Vote

This year's MLB All-Star Game is at Minnesota's Target Field which is one of baseball's newest venues. The Metrodome's successor is beautiful and a terrific site to display baseball’s best. A beautiful site doesn't always inspire a beautiful logo for the All-Star Game, though. Where does this year's artwork stand?

 For event-specific logos hosted by a city, my top priority is to gauge unique characteristics that represent the city and the venue. Most ASG logos feature the host team's emblem (just as this one does above the "All Star Game" lettering) so that's more of a requirement than a job well done. But the background and the coloring are what stand out to me.

I enjoy the skyline, outlined with detail but filled in with simplicity. The clouds and blue sky adds a nice touch, too. What's really neat is that it isn't just the skyline, but the skyline as it is seen from inside the ballpark. I love that these shapes are simple because it doesn't act as a distraction, like a mansion on a street of more modest sized houses, but it remains an important part of the whole, which is much greater than the sum of its parts like how the Spurs are with its players. 

The MVP of this logo, though, is the coloring. The obvious choices are the blue and red of the Twins that color the stadium and the background of the lettering, respectively. But, the "star" of the logo is the sand-like coloring of the lettering and skyline. One of Target Field's most unique features is its use of limestone throughout much of the park. The limestone isn't just a part of the park's identity, but the state's identity, too, as the variety used for the structure comes from nearby Mankato. It is only fitting that one of the logo's most present colors is a part of the fabric of both the venue and the region.

The shape that is home the logo's messaging is another subtle key to what makes this logo unique. As you can see below, it is the same shape upon which 'TARGET FIELD' rests in front of the stadium's main entrance. Subtleties like this help separate a logo from the pack.

If we were to judge this logo on a scale of single to home run, I easily give this one a Harmon Killebrew 500-home run club seal of approval. While Target Field is ironically a pitcher's park, this logo is a no doubter with rich coloring and unique features that represent Minnesota, Minneapolis, and Target Field.

Speaking of All Stars, we have some awesome baseball t-shirts to choose from.

The Idaho Taters was the very first sports logo we produced and it’s still one of our favorites. Here's former MLB pitcher Mike Bacsik showing off his Taters awesome t-shirt. 

 

Savannah is the 4^th largest seaport in America. Therefore there are plenty of Sea Men passing through. Makes sense right? The Savannah Seamen sports logo t-shirt.

Don’t mess with these power hitters. The Boca Raton Cougars are on the prowl, especially at night time establishments.

 

Thanks as always for reading. Enjoy All Star Week!

Jared Sandler 

Awesome Sports Logos Columnist