NHL’s New Seattle Kraken Announce Name & Logos

[Gothamite]

And that's the problem with a vague name.  It means a lot of things, while meaning nothing at all.

[Chromatic]

6 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

This is really interesting. I never really thought about it much over the years, but you could argue that the Minnesota Wild organization hasn't adequately defined the word "Wild" for itself. 

I'd say that unless your nickname is incredibly specific and iron clad, its better to be somewhat vague for the sake of branding as it gives you a lot more leeway. The newly minted Kraken is a perfect example.

[Gothamite]

1 minute ago, Chromatic said:

I'd say that unless your nickname is incredibly specific and iron clad, its better to be somewhat vague for the sake of branding as it gives you a lot more leeway. The newly minted Kraken is a perfect example.

 

There's a difference between being too literal with your logo and having a vague name to begin with.

 

Nobody misunderstands what a "Kraken" is.  It's a big sea monster.  The team doesn't need to show it for people to understand.  But having a nickname like "Wild", which based on their branding, is equally likely to mean a couple different (and contradictory) things is just bad.

[gosioux76]

12 minutes ago, Chromatic said:

I'd say that unless your nickname is incredibly specific and iron clad, its better to be somewhat vague for the sake of branding as it gives you a lot more leeway. The newly minted Kraken is a perfect example.

 

I'm not sure you want leeway when developing a brand. I think certainty is a far more valuable. You either know who you are or you don't. 

[Chromatic]

11 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

 

There's a difference between being too literal with your logo and having a vague name to begin with.

 

Nobody misunderstands what a "Kraken" is.  It's a big sea monster.  The team doesn't need to show it for people to understand.  But having a nickname like "Wild", which based on their branding, is equally likely to mean a couple different (and contradictory) things is just bad.

 

3 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

I'm not sure you want leeway when developing a brand. I think certainty is a far more valuable. You either know who you are or you don't. 

 

 

Thats not an issue of the name being vague, thats an issue of the name being bad. If you have a strong direction you know what you're doing it still lets you form a great identity because it allows for more creativity, hence Wild. I don't think I've met a single person who says they don't have a great look, but also are widely considered to have one of, if not the worst name in the big 4.

[gosioux76]

3 minutes ago, Chromatic said:

Thats not an issue of the name being vague, thats an issue of the name being bad. If you have a strong direction you know what you're doing it still lets you form a great identity because it allows for more creativity, hence Wild. I don't think I've met a single person who says they don't have a great look, but also are widely considered to have one of, if not the worst name in the big 4.

 

I'd argue that these are essentially the same thing.

[Gothamite]

"Wild" is vague, and it is bad.

 

It is bad in part because it is vague.  But that's not the only reason.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

A local retailer has some fun new Kraken merchandise: https://www.simplyseattle.com/collections/seattle-kraken?omnisendAttributionID=email_campaign_5f2adaa44c7fa439c3f49a23&omnisendContactID=5ed07d941971977f9b367db6&utm_campaign=Sonics+July+2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend

 

I think the anchor on its own looks nice!

[Chromatic]

39 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

I'd argue that these are essentially the same thing.

I'd say they aren't. "Avalanche" is incredibly specific and a terrible name. "Stars" is vague but a good name. Theres plenty of in between.

[gosioux76]

Just now, Chromatic said:

I'd say they aren't. "Avalanche" is incredibly specific and a terrible name. "Stars" is vague but a good name. Theres plenty of in between.

Not sure these are the greatest examples. There's really nothing vague about "Stars." There's absolutely zero chance of misunderstanding what a star is, and the branding is clearly reflective of its name. The "Wild" could be anything, but because the organization hasn't clearly defined its brand, we're left with something with either no discernible meaning or multiple ones.

[Gothamite]

2 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I think the anchor on its own looks nice!

 

Sure does.

[JLJ]

3 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

This is really interesting. I never really thought about it much over the years, but you could argue that the Minnesota Wild organization hasn't adequately defined the word "Wild" for itself. 

 

I agree with your description of the primary logo as a serene setting inside a bear silhouette. That implies "Wild" as an abbreviation of "wilderness." But the original team wordmark -- with its scraggly typography -- seems to evoke "Wild" as an adjective for unrestrained or violent. They've shifted away from this in recent years, of course, but the term "Wild" is still not clearly defined. 

 

What a contradiction that is. It’s almost like they couldn’t decide which direction they wanted to go and chose both. That definitely fits the 90s wild animal I theorized more so than their actual primary logo. All the more reason it’s just a bad name, and Kraken doesn’t belong in the same pile as it.

[Ridleylash]

10 minutes ago, JLJ said:

What a contradiction that is. It’s almost like they couldn’t decide which direction they wanted to go and chose both.

From everything we've seen of the actual logo's development, it doesn't seem like they actively considered the "90's wild animal" route for the primary at any point once they had a design team in place;

It seems the logo was always basically the same concept as the final product.

[McCall]

2 hours ago, Gothamite said:

 

Sure does.

If the Kraken hadn't come up with it first, this might've been the only acceptable logo element the Mariners could've used to replace the compass rose if they had so desired to.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

In hindsight, the anchor/Space Needle logo seems so obvious yet still looks incredible. The Kraken team has done such a great job with everything so far.

[Gothamite]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

In hindsight, the anchor/Space Needle logo seems so obvious yet still looks incredible. The Kraken team has done such a great job with everything so far.

That’s often the mark of brilliant design - “I cant believe nobody’s done that before!”

[henburg]

3 hours ago, Ridleylash said:

From everything we've seen of the actual logo's development, it doesn't seem like they actively considered the "90's wild animal" route for the primary at any point once they had a design team in place;

It seems the logo was always basically the same concept as the final product.

 

These are super dope images that I had never seen before, thanks! It's interesting that they played with varying levels of definition for the eye on the bear, even playing with an abstract bird in the bottom left iteration. Luckily they ended up with the best version possible and ended up making one of my favorite logos ever. 

[BBTV]

Remind me - what's the story behind why the Kraken have a logo that's a boat anchor?  I love the logo so much that I never stopped to question why a part of a boat would be a logo for a team named for sea monsters.

[MEANS]

1 hour ago, Gothamite said:

That’s often the mark of brilliant design - “I cant believe nobody’s done that before!”

Honestly do a search and you can find numerous Space Needle/Anchor designs, mostly clip art, souvenir type motifs done prior to the Kraken's mark. I was not involved but I was aware of the logos prior to the unveiling. I thought the same thing, how could nobody have thought of it? The key here is that it was done so well and fits great within the entire identity that now the mark, some could say, is already theirs. Of course you can say I am biased but I feel they hit it out of the park on this whole identity, bravo.

 

@BringBackTheVet I think the anchor connection is with the sea, ships and their tales of battle with these legendary creatures (Kraken) similar to the beveling in the primary for the back of the boats used to fish in the area. Space Needle=Seattle. Anchor=Sea. Where we are from and where we dwell. 

[Gothamite]

Fits the general nautical theme.
 

If It bothers anyone, I’m sure adidas would be happy to come up with some convoluted backstory about how the Kraken salvaged the anchor from a shipwreck in the Sound in 1879 and now carries it around as a trophy to scare its prey.