Portland Trail Blazers new logo

[SilverBullet1929]

1 minute ago, Webfooter said:

It's supposed to represent the 5 members of each team in motion on a court.  I never got that until I finally read an interview with the people who helped design the initial logo.

Well that's awesome. Does it have any connection to the Trailblazers name or not? 

[BrandMooreArt]

3 hours ago, McCarthy said:

 

Agreed. Always loved their logo. It's a true icon and the spiky one they've been using made it overly busy. In business logo design we tend to let more abstract works pass because businesses deal in thoughts and ideas while sports tend to be more concrete and obvious, but when your name is something like Trail Blazers an abstraction is the best way to go rather than a covered wagon or a flaming basketball like you said. Your second paragraph is my only complaint. In their animation (good job by whoever did it) there is a brief second where all of the lines are open and then are closed and it looks better without it. 

 

I took a crack at their logo and here's what I would've done

 

 

 

thats what i was getting at. having those lines open like this makes it feel like there is some rotation or folding going on here. i really prefer this version. good job

[WSU151]

51 minutes ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

Well that's awesome. Does it have any connection to the Trailblazers name or not? 

 

5-on-5 basketball blazed a lot of trails in the 20th century.

[OnWis97]

I guess I like the update too, though it's close enough to subtle, that I don't have really strong feelings. So the uniforms will make or break this update.

 

Thanks to this board, I actually "get" this logo, which I always thought was just some abstract connection to their name.  Thanks specifically to this thread and @BrandMooreArt for pointing out the genius of this logo being more a nod to the sport than the team but in a less obvious/overdone way of using equipment.  It's still kinda seems 70s to me, but it's kind of earned its staying power and I am glad they don't overhaul the look.  

 

I do think it's unfortunate, though not surprising, that they are still going to "officially" perpetuate this "Rip City" nonsense.

 

As an aside, the Blazers logo, in a sense, acknowledges their opponents. That's fairly rare.

[upperV03]

1 minute ago, OnWis97 said:

I guess I like the update too, though it's close enough to subtle, that I don't have really strong feelings. So the uniforms will make or break this update.

 

Thanks to this board, I actually "get" this logo, which I always thought was just some abstract connection to their name.  Thanks specifically to this thread and @BrandMooreArt for pointing out the genius of this logo being more a nod to the sport than the team but in a less obvious/overdone way of using equipment.  It's still kinda seems 70s to me, but it's kind of earned its staying power and I am glad they don't overhaul the look.  

 

I do think it's unfortunate, though not surprising, that they are still going to "officially" perpetuate this "Rip City" nonsense.

 

As an aside, the Blazers logo, in a sense, acknowledges their opponents. That's fairly rare.

The Rip City nickname is almost as iconic as the pinwheel logo at this point. It originated in their first season when their legendary play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely exclaimed it after a long shot by guard Jim Barnett. It's stuck around ever since, and if anything it's only grown in popularity over the years. It's become synonymous with not only the team, but the city of Portland as a whole. Blazers fans love it, and they love the Rip City logo as well. It's more than just a nichname to Blazers fans, so to suggest that it's nonsense is almost an insult.

[OnWis97]

11 minutes ago, upperV03 said:

The Rip City nickname is almost as iconic as the pinwheel logo at this point. It originated in their first season when their legendary play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely exclaimed it after a long shot by guard Jim Barnett. It's stuck around ever since, and if anything it's only grown in popularity over the years. It's become synonymous with not only the team, but the city of Portland as a whole. Blazers fans love it, and they love the Rip City logo as well. It's more than just a nichname to Blazers fans, so to suggest that it's nonsense is almost an insult.

But how long has "Rip City" been an official mark?  

 

I like things that happen organically, like the "Dawg Pound," or Lightning fans calling their team "the Bolts."  "Rip City" fits into that category.  I just don't really like seeing that kinda thing on uniforms.  "Rip City" on a jersey is kinda like "Motor City" on the Pistons jersey...OK, Rip City is more derivative of the basketball team whereas Motor City is independent of the team, but I don't like seeing uniforms go that informal: Rip City, Sens, Bolts, Motor City, the 'Ville, the Beach, PHX, ATL, etc.

 

I guess if the team wants to produce t-shirts that say "Rip City" that's fine and it's certainly fine with me if fans embrace it.  I also like Browns fans embracing the Dog Pound, but I don't think a dog should go on the Browns helmet.

 

Anyway, I'll back off of "nonsense" regarding having an official marketing "Rip City" logo.  But if goes on the uniform, I'll stand by it. 

[upperV03]

On a local Blazers radio show yesterday, the Blazers' CMO gave some more insight into the new logos and uniforms. No surprise here, but he said there was never any thought about going away from the pinwheel logo, and he also said that Nike did not assist in the design process of the updated logo set. He mentioned that the italicized wordmarks on the jerseys will be gone, which means they'll presumably be replaced by the "PORTLAND" wordmark that was unveiled yesterday, and likely a matching "BLAZERS" version as well. Lastly, he said the uniforms should be unveiled in July, and I would guess it'll be late July since all of the other info I've seen has said "late summer".

[Lights Out]

4 hours ago, upperV03 said:

Disagree completely. The silver always seemed like an inappropriate accent color to use in the pinwheel, and I think most Blazers fans would agree that switching back to a primarily red/black/white color scheme is more fitting. I'm fine with them keeping gray(s) as secondary colors to be used sparingly for merchandising and promotional materials, and possibly even the alternate uniforms, but the main scheme should absolutely be red/black/white.

To me, not having the silver makes the logo look unfinished on a white or light background, like they forgot to color half of it in.

[WavePunter]

The pinwheel itself is a downgrade for me..

I'm glad they're going away from the goofy parallelogram, but oversimplifying and losing a bit of modern character is a bit of a misstep imo.. The uniforms will still help form my opinion, but from a logo perspective, I'm not impressed

[Conrad.]

56 minutes ago, upperV03 said:

He mentioned that the italicized wordmarks on the jerseys will be gone, which means they'll presumably be replaced by the "PORTLAND" wordmark that was unveiled yesterday, and likely a matching "BLAZERS" version as well.

 

[upperV03]

21 minutes ago, Conrad. said:

 

I'd definitely be in favor of that, it looks really clean without all of the silver trim. And the one color wordmarks and numbers work surprisingly well. Nice work! I am curious though to see if they tweak the striping pattern to something more along these lines, except obviously with the two color treatment:

They've used that striping pattern in a lot of their promotional materials in the last 2-3 seasons, and I just wonder if they'll use it on the new primary uniforms. It'd be a bit more consistent with the lines in the logo, so I think it's atleast a possibility.

[Fresno St. Alum]

I liked it best when the logo resembled a lower case b. The logo has always sucked in my mind.

[IceCap]

3 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

Well that's awesome. Does it have any connection to the Trailblazers name or not? 

No, and it's why I've never cared for any Blazers logo. The current update is certainly better, but it's more or less just the 90s logo with a few tweaks. Which surpassed the version that unnecessarily added points and silver. 

 

As I said though, none of the Blazers' logos have impressed me. The look is a relic of that 70s aesthetic that gave us the Brewers' ball-in-glove and the Canucks' stick-in-rink. Logos that emphasized the sport and not the team identity. 

That can work in a lot of cases, but I just feel like both Portland as a city and the name "Trailblazers" have so much to offer in terms of a visual identity. An abstract representation of 5 on 5 basketball just seems underwhelming. Even when executed properly. 

 

And the "Rip City" stuff is just sad. I actually thought it was a legimate local name for Portland until @Bucfan56 explained the story behind it. I don't know why they don't commit to "Rose City" when "Rip City" feels so manufactured.

[Webfooter]

How is "Rip City" manufactured when it was started by the team's long-time play-by-play announcer and the team, fans and city embraced it?  It may seem odd to those outside of Portland and the NW, but it makes plenty of sense for those who have lived with its history and the team.

[upperV03]

6 minutes ago, Webfooter said:

How is "Rip City" manufactured when it was started by the team's long-time play-by-play announcer and the team, fans and city embraced it?  It may seem odd to those outside of Portland and the NW, but it makes plenty of sense for those who have lived with its history and the team.

Exactly, and it's a name that's been around for nearly 50 years, since the team's first season. It essentially is a legitimate local name. Sure, it's obviously associated with the Blazers, but they're a huge part of the city's identity and culture. Locals know the city as "Rip City" in the context of the Blazers, just like they know it as "Rose City", "Bridgetown", "Stumptown", etc. in other contexts.

[Sport]

I'd never heard of Rip City until they started wearing those jerseys. Is that my fault? Maybe it is, or maybe it's not a famous enough moniker to be used on an official team uniform. When you think about it the first thing a uniform is supposed to do is identify who is wearing it and in that moment I had no idea what team was from Rip City. I know who the Motor City is and even then I still think it's a dumb thing for the Detroit Pistons to wear on a jersey. 

 

If you want to call yourself Rip City or whatever go ahead, but I think putting it on a jersey is silly. 

[Webfooter]

5 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

I'd never heard of Rip City until they started wearing those jerseys. Is that my fault? Maybe it is, or maybe it's not a famous enough moniker to be used on an official team uniform. When you think about it the first thing a uniform is supposed to do is identify who is wearing it and in that moment I had no idea what team was from Rip City. I know who the Motor City is and even then I still think it's a dumb thing for the Detroit Pistons to wear on a jersey. 

 

If you want to call yourself Rip City or whatever go ahead, but I think putting it on a jersey is silly. 

So because you and a few others don't get a city or region-specific nickname, it's not fit to be on a jersey?  That's just plain stupid.  When the Blazers and their fans wear it, it's an acknowledgement of the history and connection between the team and the city.

[IceCap]

35 minutes ago, Webfooter said:

How is "Rip City" manufactured when it was started by the team's long-time play-by-play announcer and the team, fans and city embraced it?

Wasn't it coined by said announcer during a loss? Hardly stuff worth memorializing. 

 

9 minutes ago, Webfooter said:

So because you and a few others don't get a city or region-specific nickname, it's not fit to be on a jersey?  That's just plain stupid.  When the Blazers and their fans wear it, it's an acknowledgement of the history and connection between the team and the city.

I think it's more than a few others who don't get it. Like @McCarthy I only heard of it when the Blazers started wearing it. 

 

Meanshile I knew Portland was the Rose City for considerably longer. So it seems like one of those monikers is more widely known (and thus more appropriate to a jersey you're selling the world over) than the other. 

 

That's what I mean when I say manufactured. "Rose City," "Motor City," and "the Windy City" are all names that have endured for decades, if not centuries. "Rip City" was coined by someone associated with the team, for the team. 

 

A (very unscientific) sample size indicates that it's not well known outside of Portland. 

And agajn. I'm only harping on this because the city of Portland has a legitimately authentic nickname in the form of "Rose City" they passed over for something not nearly as well known.

 

[Toronto206]

I'd like to see an early 00's throwback night and the jersey wordmark is 'Jail Blazers'.

[upperV03]

49 minutes ago, Ice_Cap said:

Wasn't it coined by said announcer during a loss? Hardly stuff worth memorializing. 

 

I think it's more than a few others who don't get it. Like @McCarthy I only heard of it when the Blazers started wearing it. 

 

Meanshile I knew Portland was the Rose City for considerably longer. So it seems like one of those monikers is more widely known (and thus more appropriate to a jersey you're selling the world over) than the other. 

 

That's what I mean when I say manufactured. "Rose City," "Motor City," and "the Windy City" are all names that have endured for decades, if not centuries. "Rip City" was coined by someone associated with the team, for the team. 

 

A (very unscientific) sample size indicates that it's not well known outside of Portland. 

And agajn. I'm only harping on this because the city of Portland has a legitimately authentic nickname in the form of "Rose City" they passed over for something not nearly as well known.

 

I don't mean to sound dense, but does it really matter whether non-Blazers fans know the nickname and the reasoning behind it? Portlanders, Oregonians, and most importantly Blazers fans, from Portland and beyond, know and love the "Rip City" monicker and the history behind it. Blazers fans across the country and globe are aware of what it means, and that's the primary target of the organization. You say they're "selling the world over" on it, but they really aren't. Like @Webfooter said, when fans and the team wear it, it's an acknowledgement of the history and connection between the team, it's fan base, and the city of Portland. The team only wears the uniforms at home in front of their fans (with the exception being a couple of road games a few seasons ago), and that's because the connection between the two is what makes Portland "Rip City" in the context of basketball.