Portland Timbers to have a new logo for MLS Debut

[BeerMe]

What a fantastic logo. If you look here you will see everybody else agrees with this fact.

[BrySmalls]

Caption: Fans are definitely lining up in droves to purchase merchandise with the new logo on it!

[IceCap]

I'm honestly shocked that anyone can regard this new logo as a design upgrade. And that has nothing to do with an "emotional" tie to the old logo. Rather, I compare the elements of the old logo to the new mark from a design perspective and conclude that their has been something lost at every step along the way.

* The axe device in the most recent old Timbers logo resembled... well, an axe. The axe in the new logo has been foreshortened and beefed-up to the point where it looks like a short, stubby hatchet.

* While the inverted V-shaped chevrons on the old logo clearly formed a stylized depiction of a tree, it could nevertheless be seen as a tree. The move to using only three chevrons in the new logo, combined with the manner in which said chevrons are positioned behind the hatchet and the location of the team name, has done away with anything that even resembles a stylized tree. Instead, there's a truncated, somewhat triangle-shaped device containing four diagonal lines.

* The area surrounding the team name in the new logo is rendered in a particularly awkward manner.

* The old logo gave both the franchise's host city and team nickname equal weight in the brand identity, as they were rendered in the same size and style font. In the new logo, the city takes precedent. Frankly, given the aforementioned loss of an effectively-rendered tree-like element, I think it is a mistake to downplay the Timbers nickname in the logo.

All in all, a complete "hatchet"-job, no pun intended. What's more, it is made all the more disappointing - to say nothing of puzzling - given the normally strong work that RARE produces.

Very well said.

In addition to all of this I'll just say that this redesign was completely unnecessary. I'm not one to claim that everything from the old NASL was fantastic, but the old Timbers logo really was perfect in its design. It wasn't dated, it wasn't in need of a clean up. It was near perfect, and would have become one of MLS' best crests instantly had the team just left it alone upon making the move to the league.

[BlazerBlaze]

Member that patch order I made here earlier? Think you should sent it to the Timbers owner instead of me so they can use it. Looks like they could use the help.

[BeerMe]

There was thousands and thousands of fans of the game watching the U.S./England match and was there for the unveiling of the new logo here in Portland. Portland is passionate about their soccer.

So to see this reaction is a tell tell sign of what they think about the new logo.I wish it would just go away now.

[Chawls]

big downgrade!

another user on this board did a wonderful update of the 'USL' logo. Should have used that one.

is the unveilling video with the booing and chanting.

Were they really chanting, "You f?cked up!"?

I think they were severly overreacting. It looked like a design one of us would do. That's not bad at all.

[erikstoll]

it looks dramatically better without the damn text going through it

[crashcarson15]

Seems like I'm the only one that thinks this is a huge upgrade...

The old logo showed its age but the new one is a great update IMO.

[TopCat]

Seems like I'm the only one that thinks this is a huge upgrade...

The old logo showed its age but the new one is a great update IMO.

+1.

Maybe it's just us youngins, but this is easily better than the old one. Colors are a little meh, but still better.

[Jer15]

I don't have a strong opinion either way. I feel the chevrons in the background look, more than ever in Timbers history, like a tree. I think the axe might be reminiscent of the late 90s NHL 3rd jersey project, just not as over the top.

With that said, I feel that in soccer more than any other sport, the ownership should be listening to the supporter's. Soccer has fan groups that will travel in packs and represent the club in their communities with out being asked or without any sense of entitlement, just to grow th fan base more. As a result the ownership should hear the "you :censored:ed up" and "this is " chants and go back to the drawing board.

[gosioux76]

big downgrade!

another user on this board did a wonderful update of the 'USL' logo. Should have used that one.

is the unveilling video with the booing and chanting.

Were they really chanting, "You f?cked up!"?

I think they were severly overreacting. It looked like a design one of us would do. That's not bad at all.

They also appear to have used a variation on a popular Timbers Army chant: "It's so sh**ty it's unelievable."

I'm a Timbers fan here in Portland, though I can't claim to be among the Timbers Army. Admittedly the Army is part what makes the Timbers franchise and it's history so great. But I really think they made a poor showing of themselves yesterday. I wish there would have been a more diplomatic way of showing their displeasure of the logo than ranting expletives during a public gathering aimed at expanding the sport's fanbase beyond it's diehard core.

[BrySmalls]

"Minor tweaks" has been mentioned several times.

"Carrying forward the core elements and circular shape", eh?

Sounds like the rumors of tweaks might be right.

Nothing "minor" about the "tweaks" mentioned. The logo even failed to keep its "circular shape" or am I reading this following article wrong?

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers today unveiled their official new crest and colors as the team's countdown to its inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season in 2011 continues. The historic unveiling was conducted before a spirited crowd gathered for the 2010 World Cup group-play opener between the United States and England at Director Park in downtown Portland on Saturday afternoon.

The team will keep its historic name - the Timbers - as it makes its ascent to MLS in 2011; the new primary mark embodies this monumental move to top-flight professional soccer, while prominently carrying forward elements of the team's considerable history and paying tribute to the heritage and traditions that led to Portland becoming "Soccer City USA."

"A lot of thought went into creating a dynamic logo that both signifies the enormity of our move to Major League Soccer while also paying homage to our rich and unique past," said Merritt Paulson, president of the Timbers. "We believe we have found that balance and are thrilled to commemorate a new era of Timbers soccer with our official MLS logo."

Front and center in the Timbers' new primary logo is a T-shaped axe, breaking through the confines of the team's original crest. More than a graphic representation of trees, the three chevrons included in the new logo represent the Timbers' professional beginnings in the North American Soccer League (NASL), their many successful seasons in second-tier professional soccer - most notably the past 10 seasons in United Soccer Leagues/USSF D-2 Pro League - and, importantly, the team and city's proud place as MLS' 18th franchise.

The new Timbers identity is based on the shape of the team's original crest, a circle representing unity, wholeness and the pursuit of perfection. The primary crest emphasizes "Portland" and the unique connection between the club and the city. A further connection to that history can be found in the subtle, visual cues to the typeface of the original crest.

The Timbers name stays true to the team's history and pays homage to the industrial heritage of the Pacific Northwest. The traditional Timbers color of Ponderosa gets its inspiration from the pines of the deep, lush Oregon forests, while the energetic accent of Moss boldly punctuates the team's MLS identity.

The logo-creation process began more than a year ago as the team consulted with focus groups consisting of former players, fans, staff members and prominent soccer constituents. The Timbers chose RARE Design, a noted branding and design firm that has produced a number of top professional and collegiate sports identity systems, secondary logos and uniform designs.

In conjunction with Saturday's launch, the Timbers made available an introductory line of merchandise and apparel featuring the team's new MLS identity. Adidas t-shirts, hats, scarves, hooded sweatshirts and novelties are now available online at www.PortlandMLS2011.com and will be available at PGE Park for the remainder of the Timbers' current USSF D-2 Pro League season.

Link

[Krona]

There was thousands and thousands of fans of the game watching the U.S./England match and was there for the unveiling of the new logo here in Portland. Portland is passionate about their soccer.

So to see this reaction is a tell tell sign of what they think about the new logo.I wish it would just go away now.

When was that picture of the checkout taken? I agree, it while i was there, sales were sparse, but there was the 2nd half of a 1-1 match between US and England. Dont forget to mention that. I know its a small detail. Walking around Portland all day in different parts of town, I saw the merch popping up in peoples arms. And yes, they did yell "You :censored:ed Up". To the owners face no less. I saw Merrit Paulson doing a TV interview right after the unveiling. After the interview, he approached some fans that had poop in their pampers and they let him have it. Kind of shortsighted and rude in my opinion. I was disappointed at first, and now i see it as a slight upgrade. I think the badge on the chest should be the one on the scarf and the "primary" looks fine for merch. Maybe a bit forced, but that ax really pops. The decal i bought was undeniably yellow, while most of the other merch had what resembled Sounder green. thats unacceptable.

PS did you take those pics. I was one floor above that in the parking garage.

[IceCap]

Seems like I'm the only one that thinks this is a huge upgrade...

The old logo showed its age but the new one is a great update IMO.

+1.

Maybe it's just us youngins, but this is easily better than the old one. Colors are a little meh, but still better.

I'm 22. And I still find the new logo to be a downgrade.

[Zerakus]

I feel sick from that.

Oh, I am talking about how the fans presented themselves. Totally classless. You will lose a lot of respect that way.

[IceCap]

I feel sick from that.

Oh, I am talking about how the fans presented themselves. Totally classless. You will lose a lot of respect that way.

So being passionate about your team and angry that a timeless, meaningful badge was cast aside in favour of an over designed downgrade is a bad thing?

True, it was a little on the brash side, but that just says, to me anyway, that the fans are passionate about their team.

[bergkamp]

I feel sick from that.

Oh, I am talking about how the fans presented themselves. Totally classless. You will lose a lot of respect that way.

Well, to be fair, let's also not forget the team's owner completely lost his cool, and had to be restrained from his own team's fans while yelling at those fans, "you can shove your old minor league logo up your @ss!" No joke. Most fans think the current logo is classic and classy, so the minor league jab coupled with the extreme self-assurance on the new logo design have many fans wondering if he even "gets it" when it comes to football club culture.

Not a very classy display from either side yesterday, I'm afraid.

[AJM]

Big downgrade...argh.

[elsephen]

Definite upgrade. If anyone here created the old one, the page would get 90 views and no responses other than "Uhh... not sure what you were going for here. Try to put a bit more thought in to it"

Classic isn't always better just because it's classic. The old logo looks... old. Tired and uninspired. It's a logo that anyone with mspaint could have created. (on a creative scale and the excecution).

Is it a great logo? I don't think so. But it's definitely better than the stencil they had before.

[GMW79]

The old logo has tradition--it should have been kept. The new one is just flashy marketing. Many football clubs in the rest of world don't need "cool" logos (or even mascots for that matter) for their fans to be deathly loyal. The Timbers fans have been stabbed in the back and their loyalty thus far has been disrespected with the introduction of this new marketing ploy... err... logo.