NHL’s New Seattle Kraken Announce Name & Logos

[nash61]

7 minutes ago, Cujo said:

 

You mean a kraken can't inhabit the Potomac?

Not sure if anything can inhabit the Potomac

[Sec19Row53]

12 minutes ago, Cujo said:

 

You mean a kraken can't inhabit the Potomac?

Correct.

[DCarp1231]

5 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Correct.

If that’s the case then I highly doubt Nessie can fit in a lake. 

[Cujo]

12 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Correct.

 

Then how about that swamp in Washington?

 

 

I'll show myself out now.

[Sec19Row53]

1 hour ago, DNAsports said:

If that’s the case then I highly doubt Nessie can fit in a lake. 

Well, Loch Ness is over 700' deep and 20? miles long.

[DCarp1231]

14 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Well, Loch Ness is over 700' deep and 20? miles long.

The reason Nessie can’t be found is because she is the Loch Ness

[andrewharrington]

On 7/23/2020 at 4:37 PM, IceCap said:

The whole "Scandinavians live in Seattle!" thing seems like an afterthought, to be honest. The whole "Kraken" thing was born out of the "RELEASE THE KRAKEN" meme that people thought would be cool for Seattle because...ocean. Some people replied with "what does a monster from Scandinavian folklore have to do with Seattle?"

At which point the first group of people stumbled across the history of Scandinavian immigration to the Pacific Northwest and went "see it works!" and thought nothing else of it... (snipped for space)

I never claim to be a historian, however, I have to emphatically reiterate that we do our research (and lots of it) because we know there are people out there who will appreciate those intellectual details (or, in your case, become infuriated by them ). Kidding aside, I only took offense to the way you characterized it because it implies that we just wing it and generalize without knowing better or even trying to learn or understand the history and significance of the material we’re using as inspiration.

 

I learned far more than I ever wanted to about the origin of this legend, but it was very clear early on that it just wasn’t going to work for people if we were completely authentic to the original stories, so we had to bend it a bit to make it successful in a commercial context (unfortunate, but this is America, after all). Believe me, I understand your frustration as an actual historian. In hindsight, though, I’m proud that we did our best to intelligently link together seemingly incongruous things and respect the authentic history of the myth as much as possible while making it accessible for the audience (more on that a few quotes below), and I think the balance is working pretty well. Could it have been better? Sure. Nevertheless, it’s exceeding expectations (especially my own), and I think it’s shaping up to be a benchmark identity, which is cool.

 

To put the Clash/Pirates/pop culture debate to rest, at no time during the process were any of these things mentioned by the ownership group as a reason for choosing this name. It was more than likely in the heads of the fans who suggested and trumpeted it, but the ownership group was never intent on using its pop culture cliché-ness as a springboard. I’d be surprised if they didn’t embrace some of it, though. We’ll see if the “Release the Kraken” slogan sticks around or was just limited to the launch product.

 

Solid discussion.

 

On 7/23/2020 at 6:32 PM, Dynasty said:

 

 

This is what happens when I don't do research before making a claim. 

 

Not sure if that was the primary reason for the name, but at least there's some significance?

Definitely. We tried to give every piece a little connection to Seattle, the sea, the folklore, and/or history.

 

On 7/23/2020 at 8:13 PM, VancouverFan69 said:

Seattle was long overdue for an NHL franchise and the franchise blew it big time. Bushleague and gimmicky name and a bland navy and red colour scheme(only the seafoam adds a little distinctiveness). Only to cater to a young and radically progressive demographic instead of going with a far better and a safer choice of a name and a distinctive colour scheme(example: two shades of green) that would go over well with fan bases of all ages - from those who followed the WHL Totems to today's youth.

 

Extremely disappointing. Seattle's NHL franchise has lost all my interest. I despised the Minnesota "Wild" name from Day 1 in 2000 and 20 years later, my feelings and thoughts on the "Wild" name are no different. The same will hold true with the Kraken in 20+ years.

If I had to guess, a person who posts online as “VancouverFan69” with a Canucks avatar is rock bottom on the club’s priority list, and I think they’re just fine that you have no interest in their club.

 

On 7/23/2020 at 8:57 PM, Corvus said:

So,  I've been listening to a hockey podcast out of Seattle for about a year now, one of the hosts is one of the people who started the community push for a team in Seattle. They released a podcast with their reactions to the name tonight, for those who might want to hear the local reaction. Local reaction in Seattle seems quite positive, which is of course the thing that really matters. 

 

https://nhltoseattle.com/2020/07/23/sound-of-hockey-episode-96-lets-go-kraken/

 

As for the appropriateness of the team name,  Pirates of the Caribbean being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who is an investor in the team is a pretty obvious explanation. 

 

Surprisingly, he was reluctant on this name. Opinion was very split on it in general, but they committed to it because they were convinced that it was what the fans wanted.

 

On 7/23/2020 at 9:40 PM, Gothamite said:

 

Absolutely crazy that they didn't have those primed and ready for pre-orders by now.

 

Honestly, the design of all this stuff was just finalized in the past couple months. There’s not even a physical prototype of this jersey yet. Obviously, there are all kinds of circumstances that dictated the strategy a bit, but people were getting antsy for news. To that point, I understand why they pulled the curtain so early, and also why they passed on having product in the pipeline pre-launch, as they were able to suppress leaks and truly do the unveil on their own terms. Ultimately, the unveil seems like it’s been a success even if it’s not quite as polished or tightly planned as anyone would have liked, and I think having the uniforms as part of the unveiling contributed to that success.
 

On 7/23/2020 at 10:12 PM, Corvus said:

For those who've been talking about why not a different name with the same identity, think about how the words sound. Octopus, Squid, etc, they just don't have the same oomph as a word as Kraken. 

You’re right. It’s a tough one to find an alternative name for. There are some nice nautical terms that you might be able to spin a Kraken mascot into, but there’s also a risk of creating dissonance for your audience with that approach.

 

On 7/24/2020 at 7:36 AM, _RH_ said:

Alright I know there have been so many posts that this got buried quickly, but I'm really still curious about the four blues.  Anyone know more about this?

 

Boundless Blue and Shadow Blue are the tonal complements to Deep Sea Blue and Ice Blue. They’re essentially just support colors (though Shadow Blue does take on a minor role in the sleeves and socks). Primary colors are always Deep Sea Blue, Ice Blue, and Red Alert.
 

On 7/24/2020 at 8:48 AM, Gothamite said:

 

As much as I love the two logos individually, something about this mash-up just seems a little off.  I think it might be the decision to ignore and obliterate the tentacle by splitting the vertical stroke of the S that way, part in front of the anchor and part behind.

 

I don't think we've seen the official branding guidelines, but I suspect they specify that the primary logo must always have its outline, so the negative space is preserved.

 

 

 

Yes. The keyline is always tethered to the monogram to contain the eye. Without the eye, you could just reverse the logo and you wouldn’t need a keyline at all, but the eye just doesn’t work without the darkness behind it.
 

23 hours ago, BringBackTheVet said:

 

What the actual F?  They unveiled a jersey that won't be available for more than a full year?  Is this just the "adizero authentic" that's going to take so long?  Or even the reps?

See above. Not ideal, but those are the circumstances everyone’s dealing with. I would say prepare for summer 2021?

 

22 hours ago, IceCap said:

The thing is that we can pinpoint when all of this happened. 

Travel guide literature of the 18th century. Which became incredibly popular. And prominent authors in this genre ended up conflating the old Norse kraken legend with unrelated legends about giant squids. I made a post in the old thread where I sourced all of this stuff down to the first instance of it happening. 

 

So while you can point to Santa Clause and Sinterklass as being representations of Saint Nicholas of Myra evolving through cultural mythological drift (though the OG Saint Nic was very real by all accounts)? The kraken is a case where I can pinpoint the moment where that transition happened and go "Erik Pontoppidan just conflated two separate things in a book that became popular." 

 

Now does this have any effect whatsoever on the way most people view the kraken? No. Not really. Erik Pontoppidan conflated two things in a popular book and that set the public image of both as one in stone. It is what it is. 

 

Still, there's a reason I can enjoy Santa Clause as a jolly reminder of one of my favourite seasons whereas I can't get over my dislike of the Seattle Kraken leaning into the squid thing. 

 

And I know that's a niche group I fall into for not being able to get over that, but it is how I feel. And I do feel like I've arrived at that honestly

I’m glad you brought this up, because it’s a big reason why the creature is so ambiguous in the mark, and why there’s only one tentacle depicted. As you noted, the myth has been conflated and misinterpreted over the centuries, but I think what we have here can reasonably reflect any of the historical depictions, whether it’s a more snakelike form, the giant fish with the tentacle-like necklace, or the modern squid/octo forms.

 

6 hours ago, CLEstones said:

The Seattle Kraken is cool and all, but Seattle Hockey Team wasn't on their radar?

 

Seattle Hockey Club was tossed around a little, even as a name for a Kraken-based identity. I think that would have materialized more like the Greyjoys; a group of people who use their habitat’s most ferocious beast as a symbol for their clan.
 

3 hours ago, Cujo said:

For those who love the name "Kraken" -- Would you feel the same about the name if the current Washington or Edmonton football teams adopted Kraken as their mascot?

 

I mean, same thing, right?

First, I don’t love the name “Kraken,” but I like it a lot more than I used to. I think the identity is doing it justice and catalyzing a similar shift in public opinion.

 

That said, Seattle Kraken *sounds* decent. Not great, not terrible, but fine. Whether it’s professional or appropriate Is obviously up to the individual, but Edmonton Kraken and Washington Kraken both sound atrocious, so no, it’s not the same thing.

[Ridleylash]

2 minutes ago, andrewharrington said:

Surprisingly, he was reluctant on this name. Opinion was very split on it in general, but they committed to it because they were convinced that it was what the fans wanted.

That's interesting. Would you be able to mention which name Bruckheimer was most sold on, or is that locked behind an NDA?

[andrewharrington]

3 minutes ago, Ridleylash said:

That's interesting. Would you be able to mention which name Bruckheimer was most sold on, or is that locked behind an NDA?

Everyone seemed to have a couple different favorites at one time or another. Regardless, I want to keep the public “what could have been” talk to a minimum and let the team have its moment for now. They united around Kraken and I’m excited for the lead up to dropping the puck. We trusted them to pick the right name, and they trusted us to bring it to life; gotta give them their space.

[Gothamite]

The idea that Seattle’s Scandinavian heritage was an afterthought tacked on at the end might have something to do with us not thinking of it as such today, so those of us outside the region may not be aware of the history.  
 

It’s well-known in Seattle, though, and seems unlikely it wouldn’t have surfaced very early in the research process. 

[lilgump]

46 minutes ago, andrewharrington said:

Everyone seemed to have a couple different favorites at one time or another. Regardless, I want to keep the public “what could have been” talk to a minimum and let the team have its moment for now. They united around Kraken and I’m excited for the lead up to dropping the puck. We trusted them to pick the right name, and they trusted us to bring it to life; gotta give them their space.

 

 

 

I just want to say thank you for all your work.  As a longtime board member and Seattlite. I really appreciate the insider info from the source. 

 

Also I was never in love with the name during the whole process but I absolutely love the entire Identity and already have gear on the way.  You guys knocked it out of the park.

[Cujo]

17 hours ago, bowld said:

Hardly. This is a place to discuss uniforms, logos and brands. Team names are what they are

 

Um what?

 

THE TEAM NAME IS THE BRAND.

 

[Ridleylash]

9 minutes ago, Cujo said:

 

THE TEAM NAME IS THE BRAND.

 

It's part of the brand. A bad name can be salvaged with a great identity around it, same as a great name can be obliterated by a trashy identity around it.

[ghost316]

7 hours ago, Cujo said:

Would you feel the same about the name if the current Washington or Edmonton football teams adopted Kraken as their mascot?

 

Couldn't put the Kraken in Edmonton.

 

It'd freeze its tentacles off.

[BBTV]

 

The Krakens are now my favorite team and I want a goddam hat NOW NOT NEXT YEAR.

[Bayne]

5 hours ago, andrewharrington said:

First, I don’t love the name “Kraken,” but I like it a lot more than I used to. I think the identity is doing it justice and catalyzing a similar shift in public opinion.

 

That said, Seattle Kraken *sounds* decent. Not great, not terrible, but fine. Whether it’s professional or appropriate Is obviously up to the individual, but Edmonton Kraken and Washington Kraken both sound atrocious, so no, it’s not the same thing.

 

I certainly agree that the Kraken has a lot of oomph to it. I think that's one of the biggest selling points of the name for me. I don't love the way it sounds, but it sounds strong and I will get used to it. Who knows how most of us will feel about it 3-4 years from now once we've been exposed to it for a while in all its glory. I'd say it can only get better.

 

Thanks for the intelligent and reasoned responses @andrewharrington

 

[Bayne]

11 hours ago, DNAsports said:

The Capitals script is way better than the Weagle

 

As someone who thinks the Weagle is pretty overrated, yeah I'll vouch for that. Why not.

[M4One]

10 hours ago, Cujo said:

 

Because a silly name like Kraken doesn't belong in pro football, but for hockey it's ok?

 

It is a silly name.  But, for an expansion team, whether it be in hockey or football, whatever.  Go for it.  To use it to as the new names for historic franchises like Edmonton or Washington.  No.  

[selgy]

19 hours ago, docrocket said:

“Testicle”?  That’s nuts!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. It was late

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Cujo]

7 minutes ago, M4One said:

 

It is a silly name.  But, for an expansion team, whether it be in hockey or football, whatever.  Go for it.  To use it to as the new names for historic franchises like Edmonton or Washington.  No.  

 

So Red Wolves or Red Tails is more fitting for a non-expansion, richly historical team...