Unchosen Sabres logos

[CC97]

You got to love the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to have it all with the state of Florida, the city name and a lightning bolt all on there logo.

FYI, the Lightning only have the State of Florida on their alt logo, which does not include the team name.

But I see what you are saying.

[KJTALBOT]

I think people would have bashed anything but a "tweak" of the original logo.

The pencil sketch on the bottom left where the buffalo is facing forward looks good. It also is similar to what they chose (no legs).

[Wellsandt]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c147/bods39/Concept-4.gif

Winner.

I don't know. To me that looks like the Beast from the Disney movie.

When I first saw it I had to think of this one here

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/Football/NFLE/HAM_5607.gif

[zig]

frankly i wasn't crazy about any of them

[VitaminD]

Enough of why they use a Buffalo in there logo (Sabres/Bills). Do we really need to get into this? Why do the Yankees and Mets have NY on there hats? Why do the San Francisco Giants and 49ers have SF for their logos? I am not from Buffalo but I think it is cool representing the city name into the teams logo.

You're entitled to your opinion, but your logic is flimsier than hell.

Cap monograms (as cited in 3 of your 4 examples) are more the rule than the exception in MLB, so why wouldn't teams have an NY or an SF on their caps? Historically, the vast majority of baseball teams use their city's monogram as cap identification - but their logos tend to have other imagery and rarely incorporate the monogram. And while less common in the NFL, monograms are certainly not unheard of, as the Packers, Bears, Giants and Jets would tell you along with the 49ers.

On the other hand, of Buffalo's 2 major-league sports teams, the Bills use a buffalo as its entire identity package (although I will admit that I couldn't figure out how to draw a Bill either, short of a Western cowboy), and the Sabres' original logo was dominated by a buffalo with a smaller acknowledgement of the team's nickname off-center. That was scrapped for the "goat head", and relegated any appearance of the nickname to the secondary logos. Few other sports teams, if any, pay more attention to their city name at the expense of the nickname. (This would probably exclude bland-as-hell logos like the Clippers/Lakers - but they don't make any allusion to Los Angeles moreso than the team name.)

A more direct extrapolation of your premise would be for other cities to dump their identity packages that feature the team nickname and start using logos that made pictorial reference to the city name. First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah. That's Houston all right"? This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

Moreover, I don't know that it was conclusively proven that the city of Buffalo was even named for the animal. So while the name conveniently lends itself to being depicted by the animal, it's not necessarily even correct.

I don't like the predominance of the buffalo in Buffalo sports logos. It reeks of a lack of imagination, and it's too safe of a gimmick to fall back on. The exception is the MiLB Bisons, since the name makes the logo and the animal more appropriate for use. "Sabres" is such a great nickname, it ought to be the focal point of the logo.

[STL FANATIC]

I don't know the french, but I do believe Buffalo was derived from a french phrase that means beautiful river.

So, in all likelyhood the city name has nothing to do with the animal.

I still don't mind some tie in to their logos with a buffalo, but it doesn't need to be the focal point.

[YELDARBfield]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

[VitaminD]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

Agree to disagree.

[LoligerBS]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

Agree to disagree.

Well, When in Rome...

[burgess]

Jazz flute, anyone?

[leggman01]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c147/bods39/Concept-4.gif

Winner.

of those presented, i think that was the best, as well, although it doesn't in any way depict a sabre...the "waterways" symbolism is a bit out there and you should never have to explain a good logo, but i think the logo is solid "as is" and without the forced symbolism

[Sabrejeff]

I don't know the french, but I do believe Buffalo was derived from a french phrase that means beautiful river.

So, in all likelyhood the city name has nothing to do with the animal.

I still don't mind some tie in to their logos with a buffalo, but it doesn't need to be the focal point.

Exactly.

The early settlers in Western New York were the French and the Native American. The French called the Niagara River "beau fleuve" meaning "beautiful river." The Native American heard "buffalo" and thus the name of our peculiar city was born.

[gueman]

Can a sports team from Buffalo ever have a logo that doesn't have a Buffalo in it? Besides the Braves.

Also...

The early settlers in Western New York were the French and the Native American. The French called the Niagara River "beau fleuve" meaning "beautiful river." The Native American heard "buffalo" and thus the name of our peculiar city was born.

Did they even know what a buffalo was? I doubt those folks ever saw one. I could be wrong but I thought the Buffalo was located in the northern plains so I doubt the Mohawks or any other tribe even new what a Buffalo was.

[walkdesign]

And I don't know why people don't like the red & black one--other than they don't like the colour change...

They didn't need to change the logo.

Their name is the Sabres not the Buffaloes.

I like the the 3 set the best however I feel like the sabres and outline in the logos need to be a bit thicker.

Well, according to that logic, the Buffalo Bills shouldn't have a buffalo on it's helmet, it should have a guy named Bill on there.

[eSabre]

Can a sports team from Buffalo ever have a logo that doesn't have a Buffalo in it? Besides the Braves.

[Stampman]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

German?

San Diego is Spanish. (The English version would be Saint James, James being derived from Jacob as was Diego.)

And if you're going to make movie references--make sure they have some basis in fact, or make it make sense.

[eSabre]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

German?

San Diego is Spanish. (The English version would be Saint James, James being derived from Jacob as was Diego.)

And if you're going to make movie references--make sure they have some basis in fact, or make it make sense.

Wow. Swing and a miss.

[jkrdevil]

And I don't know why people don't like the red & black one--other than they don't like the colour change...

They didn't need to change the logo.

Their name is the Sabres not the Buffaloes.

I like the the 3 set the best however I feel like the sabres and outline in the logos need to be a bit thicker.

Well, according to that logic, the Buffalo Bills shouldn't have a buffalo on it's helmet, it should have a guy named Bill on there.

I would put the Bills as an exception to the rule. As you pointed out depicting a Bill is hard to do, I put them in the same category as Giants or Dodgers where the depiction of the nickname is near impossible so they can use a plain logo or something to represent the city.

However in the Sabres case they don't get the exception the reason being because in the past and with their alternate logos they have depicted Sabres. I'm not saying a Buffalo can't be in the logo it just needs to be with sabres. In fact if both are involved it's better because then the logo says the team name, Buffalo Sabres, pictorially.

[BBM]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

German?

San Diego is Spanish. (The English version would be Saint James, James being derived from Jacob as was Diego.)

And if you're going to make movie references--make sure they have some basis in fact, or make it make sense.

Non-Anchorman fans FTL.

[swilson160]

...First off, few cities could pull this off: San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis (in fact the Browns did this in their past), Seattle, Los Angeles could be personified by the person/people they were named for, as could Houston - but would you know what Sam Houston looked like well enough to have a redesigned Houston Rockets logo that featured Sam Houston and made no mention of a rocket to go, "Oh yeah.  That's Houston all right"?  This leaves a lot of cities out of the running, and even those in the running would be left with unwieldy logos.

What would you use for San Diego? Surely no league would allow the proper German translation to be depicted in a logo for a team from San Diego!

German?

San Diego is Spanish. (The English version would be Saint James, James being derived from Jacob as was Diego.)

And if you're going to make movie references--make sure they have some basis in fact, or make it make sense.

Agreed. How dare you use humor, k2bf. What do you think we're here for--entertainment? If I want jokes I'll watch my "Best of Carrot Top" DVD. Way to ruin the thread.