Behind the Patriots logo

[njb513]

Very interesting article, thanks for posting it. The story would be better if the logo was better; IMO it looks like what it is, something doodled by a college intern. And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

The logo has another distinction...Curtis Martin is in a dome here, but when outside, it was the first jersey logo to be visible from space.

That is..without a doubt..the UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl

[BBTV]

Very interesting article, thanks for posting it. The story would be better if the logo was better; IMO it looks like what it is, something doodled by a college intern. And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

The logo has another distinction...Curtis Martin is in a dome here, but when outside, it was the first jersey logo to be visible from space.

That is..without a doubt..the UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl

The Packers' uni's aren't great, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're the 'UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl.'

On the other hand, those Patriots uniforms were pretty sweet.

[njb513]

Very interesting article, thanks for posting it. The story would be better if the logo was better; IMO it looks like what it is, something doodled by a college intern. And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

The logo has another distinction...Curtis Martin is in a dome here, but when outside, it was the first jersey logo to be visible from space.

That is..without a doubt..the UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl

The Packers' uni's aren't great, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're the 'UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl.'

On the other hand, those Patriots uniforms were pretty sweet.

no no..not the packers uniforms..those new england uniforms are heinous....they would embarrass a usfl team

[Joshawaggie]

Very interesting article, thanks for posting it. The story would be better if the logo was better; IMO it looks like what it is, something doodled by a college intern. And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

The logo has another distinction...Curtis Martin is in a dome here, but when outside, it was the first jersey logo to be visible from space.

That is..without a doubt..the UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl

The Packers' uni's aren't great, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're the 'UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl.'

On the other hand, those Patriots uniforms were pretty sweet.

no no..not the packers uniforms..those new england uniforms are heinous....they would embarrass a usfl team

Now way, those aren't the ugliest. They are like the quintessential 90's uniform.

But,t hat is your opinion, and I respect that. This is my opinion of the worst SB uniform: (Eagles)

[quantum]

And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

Not sure if your commenting in regards to what I posted, but my comment was in regards to the amateurs being taken advantage of. Fifteen years ago, $15000 for a design job is pretty good. In regards to how amateurs are being taken advantage of, I find that type of behavior unethical. Then again, all too often people have a double standard when it comes to their "diversions".

[BlueSky]

And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

Not sure if your commenting in regards to what I posted, but my comment was in regards to the amateurs being taken advantage of. Fifteen years ago, $15000 for a design job is pretty good. In regards to how amateurs are being taken advantage of, I find that type of behavior unethical. Then again, all too often people have a double standard when it comes to their "diversions".

No, I was referring to the article itself. They worked for a professional studio which should have known how to negotiate a deal.

I agree with your point.

[BadSeed84]

Very interesting article, thanks for posting it. The story would be better if the logo was better; IMO it looks like what it is, something doodled by a college intern. And what's with the whining over what they were paid? They're valuing the work in hindsight. The designers accepted the terms at the time. If they didn't have the vision to negotiate more favorable terms in the event the logo was the one chosen, that's not the Patriots' fault.

I'm not being harsh here, that's just how I see it.

The logo has another distinction...Curtis Martin is in a dome here, but when outside, it was the first jersey logo to be visible from space.

That is..without a doubt..the UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl

The Packers' uni's aren't great, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that they're the 'UGLIEST uniform ever worn in a Super Bowl.'

On the other hand, those Patriots uniforms were pretty sweet.

no no..not the packers uniforms..those new england uniforms are heinous....they would embarrass a usfl team

Now way, those aren't the ugliest. They are like the quintessential 90's uniform.

But,t hat is your opinion, and I respect that. This is my opinion of the worst SB uniform: (Eagles)

If the torso wasnt see thru, and it was just one of the stripes on teh sleevs it wouldnt be so bad.

[totc]

Thing is, after all of these years of these boards and Paul Lukas, nobody's been able to produce the "proposed" new Pats helmet logo from the mid-80s that lost an "audience applause" vote at halftime of a game.

[rtrich11]

Ya know, I'd love to see the original sketch that Ken Loh made. Just to see what the progression was. I'll betcha he still has it.

Ken, you out there as a silent lurker?

Post it!

[leedsunited]

I worry about anyone's aesthetic sensibilities if they don't get the subtle beauty of one Pat Patriot.

He's a lucky hack, nothing more. A mediocre logo that has stuck around far longer than I ever thought it would. Let's face it, it was a rush job to finally sever all ties with the laughingstock "Patsies" image the team was stuck with.

And yeah, the 1996 Pats uni may just very well be the worst thing i've ever seen in a Super Bowl. The 1980 Eagles doesn't even come close to worst uniform (esp. since the Eagles were using the awesome double-stripe on the shoulder) - let's get real here.

[SabreGuy]

Ya know, I'd love to see the original sketch that Ken Loh made. Just to see what the progression was. I'll betcha he still has it.

Ken, you out there as a silent lurker?

Post it!

That's exactly the thought I had. The article is missing the original sketch, or even the submitted version. I wonder how different (if at all) the actual logo is from the one the designer submitted.

[Dolphins1972]

Maybe someone out there can answer this for me. Speaking of Patriot logos,what's that painted on thier field about on the 35 yard line? It looks like some sort of bridge.

[leedsunited]

Maybe someone out there can answer this for me. Speaking of Patriot logos,what's that painted on thier field about on the 35 yard line? It looks like some sort of bridge.

I always thought it was the Gillette Stadium logo? But i've never really studied the thing.

[patsox]

Maybe someone out there can answer this for me. Speaking of Patriot logos,what's that painted on thier field about on the 35 yard line? It looks like some sort of bridge.

I always thought it was the Gillette Stadium logo? But i've never really studied the thing.

That is correct.

[oddball]

I was talking to someone on Wednesday night who happened to read this story. I was right across the street from Cal State Long Beach, and he mentioned to me about the story. My immediate thought wasn't if he was a lurker, because I highly doubt someone who's not into sports would be lurking here, my immediate thought while reading the story was, "The logo works and I highly doubt many around here would've had one that worked as well because we're at times too knowledgeable and into sports so we sometimes can't think outside the box which this logo is." Is it the greatest logo? No, but I'm not sure what is. Does it work? Yes. But back to the thinking outside the box statement, I know there are a lot of good if not great designers here, but how many times do we see the same look as far as mascot or type used. What's the latest fashion for logos? Well it use to be steroid-induced aggressive mascots and who knows what's next, maybe something like the LSU logo. Who knows, maybe we'll soon see the Creighton Blue Jays mascot clawing at you with this really horrible beveled type with highlights and gradients in it. I just doubt that the great logos will come from us, and rather they'll be from someone who doesn't watch sports.

As far as how much they were paid, no one in the article was complaining. If you read the article properly, you'll realize that the author was just pointing that no one figured that their design would be chosen and even though it was, a smaller firm is not going to command top dollar. Until you prove you deserve top dollar, 9 times out of 10 you won't get it from a big-time client which the Patriots were. I don't care who you are and who you think you are, until you've done excellent work for large clients on a regular basis, you won't get top dollar from large clients. No one was complaining about what they were paid, the author just pointed out that today that design is worth money because the Patriots success has made it worth money. If they thought that the design was going to be picked and that the Patriots would win how ever many Super Bowls they've won, then yeah they'd ask for more, but hind-sight is always 20/20.

[Pharos04]

I"m surprised no one has gone onto the Evenson Design Website or contacted them about the sketches and pre-final product. This is actually on their website though:

which slightly differs from the actual product unveiled back in 1993:

or the redesign back in 2000:

Someone had brought this photo up before and the question was asked....What is that thing in the star??

[GMac]

Someone had brought this photo up before and the question was asked....What is that thing in the star??

if i had to wager im guessing a football

[Joshawaggie]

I'm guessing it's just a stylized star, instead of just being solid.

[BlueSky]

As far as how much they were paid, no one in the article was complaining.

If you mean the designers themselves weren't complaining, perhaps not directly, but the author took pains to point out how terribly unfair it all was:

===

That belongs to the designer and the intern.

Who have been rewarded with no profits, no fame, and not even any free tickets to the games.

===

Even more surprising is that, after being paid $2,500 for the initial sketching, they received only an additional $9,500 for winning the bid.

At that time, such work usually would command more than $100,000.

"Sports leagues know that most design firms will do their work cheaply, because they want the publicity," Evenson said.

===

The fact that the logo is being used by the Patriots is a result of their bad taste, not that it's a great logo.

[pagan696]

great post!

not much to investigate but i found this neat too... http://www.kenloh.net/