For players and fans, a sports team’s logo is a sacred visual. It ties the team and its fans together. It gives the fans a unified symbol to stand under, to cheer for, to recognize comrades, and to show support.
Most contact sports teams use animal logos that are intimidating and are designed with the intent to psychologically dominate the rivals. That’s why you’ll see a lot of aggressive and daunting imagery on sports team logos. Angry bulls, menacing lions, scary cheetahs, and hostile eagles, etc. all feature prominently on sports brand identity designs. Even something as friendly as a dolphin can be made to look threatening when used as a sports team mascot.
Image Source: Pinterest
But what is it about animals that make them so suitable for sports logos?
It’s three things basically:
– Immediate Understanding
We have preconceived notions about animals. We associate certain emotions or ‘vibes’ with certain animals. Lions are scary. Cheetahs are fast. Snakes are sneaky. When you use animals on your sports logo design, you are giving exact instructions to your audience regarding what to think about your brand/team.
Are you hyping up your strength, your speed, your zest, or your energy? Your animal logo will convey the exact emotion without any fault.
– We Love Animals
Whether they are wild or domesticated, we love all animals. Some, we find adorable (dogs, cats, pretty birds), and others we think of as magnificent (lions, tigers, eagles), grand, even. Using animals on your sports team logo is just a smart decision.
– Animal Mascots Humanize The Sports Brand
Because we associate certain emotions and feelings with certain animals, we also transfer those feelings and emotions to the brand that carries that specific animal symbol. The Chicago Bulls’ fierce logo not only makes us immediately understand the emotion of ferocity behind it, but we attribute that emotion to not only the brand but extend it to players and management, too.
Below, we share 6 unique ways you can design animal logos for your sports teams.
