Houston Dynamo (MLS) & Houston Dash (NWSL) rebranding.

[BC985]

8 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I kinda like it.  The shape is great. 
 

Not a huge fan of the HD monogram, but I presume they wanted something they could use on its own. 
 

The only worrying part is the relative color balance.  If this is a signal that they’re going to be a black team with orange accents, that’s bad.   On the other hand, a black badge would look fantastic against an orange shirt.  

 

This was my thought as well. I worry that an orange HD would get lost on a black badge. It would be great if they decided to take a Wolverhampton approach. 
 

[-kj]

That HD on its own would look terrific on a shirt and could be in contrasting colors where necessary. Overall, the badge is pretty decent.

 

I'm not a big fan of the shift in the last few years of Houston using more black; orange and white with a little black (or light blue) seemed to serve them quite well.

 

[MrOrange]

Love the hexagon shape (like a classic soccer ball panel in the 90s)!

Very happy they keep orange in it, though it could have been a bit more/flashier.

 

Don't like that the monogram in combination with the written out name.

The monogram itself isn't really legible to me (unlike SD Padres for example) and looks more like a street grid, maybe would look better with a "filled" out H.

 

Possible explanation for the lightning bolt: dynamo > energy > lightning bolt?

the FC add on is silly, but doesn't bother me that much since they kept Dynamo and it's not just city name FC. Maybe they had to alter it due to legal / trademark reasons, so a name change/add on was required.

 

Hope their fans like it though. (even if there is still a club ownership change or mentality change required)

Any Dynamo fans or Houston residents here, what's your opinion?

[Popmart]

Will the crest itself be a hexagon?

 

If so, that's a major design win in a league dominated by shields and roundels.

 

It would also be a miss for New England, who should go with a hexagon to represent the six New England states. But the Revs' ownership is stuck in 1996.

[4_tattoos]

14 hours ago, Gothamite said:

The only worrying part is the relative color balance.  If this is a signal that they’re going to be a black team with orange accents, that’s bad.   On the other hand, a black badge would look fantastic against an orange shirt.

Haven't been a fan of Houston's black dominant kits. Like you mentioned this new logo on orange shirts would be ideal. 

[gosioux76]

Drop the words and it’s good. Simple.

[NYCdog]

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

Drop the words and it’s good. Simple.

Agreed. The hexagon monogram looks better on its own (see ball in left photo) 

 

Can someone do a mock-up of the hexagon monogram with two stars above (for their MLS Cups won)?

 

 

[PrimalCookie]

Sad to see light blue completely axed. I know that they haven't been using it much (if at all) since the 2017 home, but it added a bit of unique flair to the logo and jerseys that had it. I also don't like that they're seemingly becoming more and more black dominant. Orange is your thing, Houston, so own it. Don't become the next San Jose.

[pepis21]

22 hours ago, _DietDrPepper_ said:

Also what's up with the lightning bolt? 

 

I guess it might has something to do with Dynamo theory or Dynamo as a electrical generator which represents Energy, work etc..

 

Not a bad logo, good thing is that they kept the name.

[4_tattoos]

In my mind hats with just the HD monogram (no hexagon or words around it) will  probably be one of the best selling new Dynamo items. Behinds jerseys, but ahead of everything else. Even scarves.

[FinsUp1214]

6 hours ago, NYCdog said:

Agreed. The hexagon monogram looks better on its own (see ball in left photo) 

 

Can someone do a mock-up of the hexagon monogram with two stars above (for their MLS Cups won)?

 

 

If you zoom into the picture in the left, there’s a faint standalone “H” on the hexagon between the tips of Harden’s right index and middle finger. It looks different than the “H” in the crest, perhaps an alternate mark?

 

The crest itself isn’t bad, but I also strongly prefer just the hexagon and monogram together without the text. I hope that’s what’s on the kits, and the crest w/ text is relegated to other uses.

[kb105]

I think the alternate H is james hardens shoe logo, since he is signed with Adidas and they are also the outfitter of MLS, it would make sense.

[sportsfan7]

1 hour ago, kb105 said:

I think the alternate H is james hardens shoe logo, since he is signed with Adidas and they are also the outfitter of MLS, it would make sense.

I don't think so.

Here is a blown up and slightly higher contrast image of the logo in question.

Here is the Harden Shoe Logo

As you can see, they look similar, but aren't quite the same. The soccer ball logo seems to have a black "H" in the white negative space of the logo and there aren't the bevels in the interior of the H on the soccer ball.

[leopard88]

I like it in a vacuum, but the font used for the interlocking HD is a little old-timey to me for a team named the Dynamo.  It's a bit like when the Astros tried to remake themselves as an Old West team after moving into Enron Field because it tied in with the train station.

[cajunaggie08]

On 10/17/2020 at 6:22 AM, element7ero said:

Love the hexagon shape (like a classic soccer ball panel in the 90s)!

Very happy they keep orange in it, though it could have been a bit more/flashier.

 

Don't like that the monogram in combination with the written out name.

The monogram itself isn't really legible to me (unlike SD Padres for example) and looks more like a street grid, maybe would look better with a "filled" out H.

 

Possible explanation for the lightning bolt: dynamo > energy > lightning bolt?

the FC add on is silly, but doesn't bother me that much since they kept Dynamo and it's not just city name FC. Maybe they had to alter it due to legal / trademark reasons, so a name change/add on was required.

 

Hope their fans like it though. (even if there is still a club ownership change or mentality change required)

Any Dynamo fans or Houston residents here, what's your opinion?

 

Houston area resident here. The new badge is fine. The previous one had grown outdated. As others have said, I hope they stick with orange primary kits. I know I'm old compared to their target audience, but I dont see a black primary look resonating with Houstonians. It didnt catch on when the Astros tried it 20 years ago and now that the Rockets are doing it i dont see it catching on either. I am bummed to see the light blue disappear, but they abandoned that a few years ago. The new badge isn't going to cause be to go out and buy gear or decide to go to games. If i get free tickets I'll take the kids. Otherwise I'm not driving 45-50 min in to town to pay to go watch a bad MLS club.

[shaydre1019]

On 10/17/2020 at 6:22 AM, element7ero said:

Love the hexagon shape (like a classic soccer ball panel in the 90s)!

Very happy they keep orange in it, though it could have been a bit more/flashier.

 

Don't like that the monogram in combination with the written out name.

The monogram itself isn't really legible to me (unlike SD Padres for example) and looks more like a street grid, maybe would look better with a "filled" out H.

 

Possible explanation for the lightning bolt: dynamo > energy > lightning bolt?

the FC add on is silly, but doesn't bother me that much since they kept Dynamo and it's not just city name FC. Maybe they had to alter it due to legal / trademark reasons, so a name change/add on was required.

 

Hope their fans like it though. (even if there is still a club ownership change or mentality change required)

Any Dynamo fans or Houston residents here, what's your opinion?

Dynamo fan, Houston resident. 

I like it. I would've maybe preferred just an H, but the HD monogram is nice. I'm glad they didn't just go the roundel route. 
The hexagon gives me soccer but also space vibes which i like. I hadn't noticed until recently that the shape of the current logo is essentially a tweaked Earthquakes shield

The HD has kind of an old western vibe, but also the double outline makes it a little more modern. 

It has potential to be a really flexible identity. You can use the monogram on its own, you can use the full badge, the partial HD+ badge that was also leaked, the potential H alternate logo, and you can build out different patterns from the hexagon shape. 

In any case i'm excited for the full reveal. I hope we keep orange as the home look, but the black jerseys are really popular over here so i wouldn't be surprised if they go that route for the home kit. I'll miss the light blue, but they never really utilized it much or very well. 

[gosioux76]

7 hours ago, leopard88 said:

I like it in a vacuum, but the font used for the interlocking HD is a little old-timey to me for a team named the Dynamo.  It's a bit like when the Astros tried to remake themselves as an Old West team after moving into Enron Field because it tied in with the train station.

 

I disagree on this point.

 

The typography for the HD monogram is directly in line with the traditional style of monograms we've seen from big European and South American clubs over the years. (Rangers, Inter, '90s Chelsea, Flamengo in Brazil.) That's not to say it's the same precise font, but it appears to be in the same spirit as those iconic European and South American crests.

 

And the word "Dynamo" isn't what I'd consider a modern brand, especially in soccer. I've always presumed that, much like Real Salt Lake, it was chosen to parrot existing brands found in global soccer. And the names most associated with Dynamo have been around for almost a century: Dynamo Moscow (founded in 1923) and Dynamo Kyiv (founded in 1927).

[leopard88]

41 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

And the word "Dynamo" isn't what I'd consider a modern brand, especially in soccer. I've always presumed that, much like Real Salt Lake, it was chosen to parrot existing brands found in global soccer. And the names most associated with Dynamo have been around for almost a century: Dynamo Moscow (founded in 1923) and Dynamo Kyiv (founded in 1927).

 

Even though the name has been used for nearly 100 years, I still feel like it's intended to convey speed, power and motion.  That's why I feel the name fits a more modern look.

[FinsUp1214]

FWIW, I’ve always associated “Dynamo” (in soccer and hockey) with a more old-school look because of Dynamo Moscow and Kyiv, despite the more modern sounding name:

 

 

If that’s Houston’s line of thinking here, I don’t think the new monogram is too far off in terms of feel. It hits on an old-school look of its own without being script-y and looking like Moscow and Kyiv. I think the global soccer/football audience who’d be more strongly familiar with Moscow and Kyiv could potentially catch that feel, too. 

[gosioux76]

2 minutes ago, FinsUp1214 said:

FWIW, I’ve always associated “Dynamo” (in soccer and hockey) with a more old-school look because of Dynamo Moscow and Kyiv, despite the more modern sounding name:

 

 

If that’s Houston’s line of thinking here, I don’t think the new monogram is too far off in terms of feel. It hits on an old-school look of its own without being script-y and looking like Moscow and Kyiv. I think the global soccer/football audience who’d be more strongly familiar with Moscow and Kyiv could potentially catch that feel, too. 

Exactly. You nailed it.