Winnipeg Pilots Logo Concept

[Phil]

The name is derived from the rich aviation history of Winnipeg and the Canadian Prairie. The plane itself is modelled after a WWII-era Spitfire, which is the plane many legendary RAF pilots learned to fly right here on the wide open plains of Manitoba. The name also draws on the rich history of aviation-themed nicknames for Winnipeg sports franchises, including the CFL's Blue Bombers and former NHL Jets.

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[pollux]

As usual, the logo simplicity works really well here. I am pleased to see that you haven't lost your style at all. As you stated, the name is well chosen or a Winnipeg team. I love the font you used for the wordmark.

The plane is well depicted, although having the plane white makes it look a little blend. Maybe by adding a relatively thin grey outline for a cockpit would add to the plane's depth. I like the overall logo shape. Did you get inspired by the Winnipeg Thunder logo for the shield?

Overall, it's solid work as always!

[rtrich11]

I like this work, too. It's simple and artistic. One thing keeping this from being a company logo and not a sports logo is some kind of element holding it together. It fades off into white all over the place. I know you may hate doing it, but I'd try a thin, light grey rule around the shape, buffered by white to keep it "'airy".

[Gordie]

I like this work, too. It's simple and artistic. One thing keeping this from being a company logo and not a sports logo is some kind of element holding it together. It fades off into white all over the place. I know you may hate doing it, but I'd try a thin, light grey rule around the shape, buffered by white to keep it "'airy".

I completely disagree with that.

What gives this logo such a great airy feeling is that it's unconfined. If you enclose it, you'll lose the sense of open space that makes it work. If you put a wide white outline around it, I think it'll look great on either a light or dark background and maintain the wide-open quality.

[Shumway]

Overall, I think it's great. The only thing I'm noticing is that I'm finding it a little hard to see the "Winnipeg". It's just a bit too light of a gray.

[quantum]

I like the understated use of the shield. It perfectly combines the logo elements at the same time promotes a sense of open space. I would consider a different font and color for Winnipeg. The word Pilots looks uneven T-B. The P looks taller than the S. Another suggestion would be to possibly add a minor shadow under the word Pilots.

Nice work.

[andrewharrington]

Wonderful. I love the implied badge shape and the simplicity. I think WINNIPEG should be light blue for legibility reasons, and though I love this version, I'd like to see one in which the plane is outlined, just for comparison. The background needs no outline; the clouds and the color usage give the perfect implication of open sky. I love how you were not afraid to let the aircraft break the boundaries of the badge, further opening the space. I think the serifs of the font could be rounded a bit to better match the cuvilinear shape of the aircraft. The serifs are kind of angular as is. Great rendering of the propeller, too.

[AAO]

Lovin' it. My only gripe would be whats already been mentioned--i want to see it what it would look like with a thin grey outline outside of a white outline. Unbalanced though, with the grey outline thicker up top and then thinning once it reaches the bottom. Or vice versa. But i definitely love the font and the propeller. As tempest said, maybe a bit more roundedness to the serifs on the wordmark what bring this concept out that much more.

[P.I.L.L.]

the logo's unique, however I'm not a fan of the wordmark being there, as it interferes rather than complements the overall shape. If it must stay, perhaps just keep it inside w/ the P and S conforming to the sides of the shield...

[Stampman]

Nice work--I do agree the grey is a bit too light for a white background--but that's a small quibble.

This would be a very nice baseball logo, but could work for other sports.

[GeorgesL]

I gotta say I love this logo a lot! My only question is what sport would it be used for?

I would use it as a baseball logo myself.

[winghaz]

I always thought Trappers would be a good nickname for Winnipeg. Or FurTraders.

[Stampman]

I gotta say I love this logo a lot! My only question is what sport would it be used for?

I would use it as a baseball logo myself.

2 in a row for baseball Sy--What do you say?

[Jigga]

Can't really add anything that hasn't already been said in terms of tweaking it, so I'll just say that's a damn fine logo, simple but not too simple. Damn near flawless execution!

[lopernv]

I always thought Trappers would be a good nickname for Winnipeg. Or FurTraders.

I got a fantasy team in Manitoba named the Trappers, as you can see in my sig...

[jr79]

I'd love to see a secondary with some guy wearing cap, goggles and scarf

I like the plane, and the sense of motion in the propellor. I'm not quite sure the wordmark is working perfectly. The plane is also a bit flat, and hardly soaring upwards into the sky. Perhaps it just looks a little defeatist? That said, the bottom of a plane is hardly inspiring viewing if you were to change the perspective!

The little grey V to complete the shield shape is a nice touch, and gives it the legit sports logo feel that some were looking for... I'm not sure you could mistake this for a corporate logo.

[ltravisjr]

I really like this as well. I agree with the suggestion to change Winnipeg to light blue. Not only will that make it more legible, but it will get some of that color somewhere other then just the sky. The main wordmark looks a little contorted to me. It is almost as if S is laying back a little bit further then the P, causing a slight twist in the entire word. Am I the only one seeing that? Also, I am probably off-base here, since everyone else loves it, but I am not a big fan of the propeller treatment. I assume this was to show motion without resorting to a gradient. Anyway, it seems a little busy to me compared with the wide open shapes and simplicity of the rest of the design. Perhaps you could show the blades' actual shape but add a couple of tapered motion arcs around the outside (making them white so they take advantage of negative space).

Dang, I feel kind of bad adding so many comments because I really do think this design is stunning!

LT

[Phil]

Wow, fairly overwhelming response. Thanks guys! A lot of terrific C&C.

Addresing a few of the issues that have come up:

- The corporate logo feel. Yeah, I see a little of it too. That said, I'm seeing a bit of a progression towards more corporate sports logos in the real world too. Perhaps the most obvious example I can think of off-hand would be the Houston Rockets.

Having said that, any application of this logo on a uniform colour other than white would result in a white outline around the whole thing, so I feel the gray outline wouldn't serve to add much in that direction.

- The Pilots wordmark is skewed to match the plane's plane (the dimensional direction of the aircraft might be a more clear way to put it). I don't know if I'd want to skew it more - I might just level it out, although I fear the rigidity introduced by leveling the wordmark perfectly might take this logo somewhere I don't want to go with it.

- The "Winnipeg" treatment is very subtle, although the light blue tends to create a very harsh contrast with the white. I'll take a few minutes to experiment with it, and I'll update it when/if I come up with something better.

- The logo was not designed with a specific sport in mind. That said, my UL (baseball) team would need a logo if the league approves a move of the franchise. I agree it could work on a baseball uniform, but that'd mean I'd have to come up with a hat logo.

For now, I'll leave you with this secondary logo (not a hat logo) I created, a more direct representation of the nickname, trying to capture the courage and determination that characterized the men and women that comprised "the greatest generation".

[GeorgesL]

Wow, fairly overwhelming response. Thanks guys! A lot of terrific C&C.

Addresing a few of the issues that have come up:

- The corporate logo feel. Yeah, I see a little of it too. That said, I'm seeing a bit of a progression towards more corporate sports logos in the real world too. Perhaps the most obvious example I can think of off-hand would be the Houston Rockets.

Having said that, any application of this logo on a uniform colour other than white would result in a white outline around the whole thing, so I feel the gray outline wouldn't serve to add much in that direction.

- The Pilots wordmark is skewed to match the plane's plane (the dimensional direction of the aircraft might be a more clear way to put it). I don't know if I'd want to skew it more - I might just level it out, although I fear the rigidity introduced by leveling the wordmark perfectly might take this logo somewhere I don't want to go with it.

- The "Winnipeg" treatment is very subtle, although the light blue tends to create a very harsh contrast with the white. I'll take a few minutes to experiment with it, and I'll update it when/if I come up with something better.

- The logo was not designed with a specific sport in mind. That said, my UL (baseball) team would need a logo if the league approves a move of the franchise. I agree it could work on a baseball uniform, but that'd mean I'd have to come up with a hat logo.

For now, I'll leave you with this secondary logo (not a hat logo) I created, a more direct representation of the nickname, trying to capture the courage and determination that characterized the men and women that comprised "the greatest generation".

This secondary logo is just as good as the primary! Well done!!!

[Stampman]

Very nice--as for using it a baseball logo--the plane itself could make a nice cap logo...