AFL clubs have some first class logos designed by top professionals. I’m sure they pay top dollar for them too. So let’s have a look at them club by club and see what works and what doesn’t..
Adelaide Crows – I think this one is simple and effective. It is shown here reversed out on a background. It highlights the team colours, the image of the crow is quite dark and striking and in full action, with club colours streaming out behind the flight of his wings. This is a great portrayal of the club itself.
Brisbane Lions – I guess this one is very queensland looking, reminds me of summer and the gold coast, but that’s not very apt for a football team that plays in the winter months. It just doesn’t have the class of some of the other logos, it’s probably a lot to do with the font usage and also the gradients of colour in an oval. A bit tacky and 80′s looking.
Carlton Blues – A stylized version shown here, this is generally a very traditional and old fashioned logo, with CFC for Carlton Football Club intertwined. It is also the same emblem shown on their jersey so immediately recognizable by anyone who follows AFL. I guess there is something to be said for tradition, and therefore it evokes the image of longevity and old loyalty to the club. Perhaps not as appealing to someone who is new to football.
Collingwood Magpies – this logo is quite detailed. Part traditional, part modern in its design. The badge and wreath and establishment date are traditional in idea but the execution of the design and particularly the flags have a modern stylized flair. It is very australian, with the use of the australian flag and the australian bird, and reminds me of vegemite for some reason.
Essendon Bombers – Kind of cartoonish, appealing to the youth I think. Looks a bit 1980′s. Good use of colour, and the way the title wraps around the image. Certainly some effort has gone into its creation, but the style is not quite slick enough for my taste. Could easily be a package design for a toy.
Fremantle Dockers – Strong use of purple to distinguish them from other clubs as it is a colour unique to them, but funny how their jerseys are not so purple and look more navy blue. A very modern logo for a club that has not been around so long as some of the others. The muscley sailor boy looks like he’s just stepped out of a gay nightclub and the outer glow effect is a bit cheap looking here. But good use of their colours.
Geelong Cats – I really like this one. Another example of simple but effective. A modern logo for an old traditional club, bringing them into the new millennium. This one is pretty slick. The way the cat’s face is emerging from the blue and white stripes in the same pattern as their jersey, is very effective. Instantly recognizable as the geelong football club with the use of the cat, the colours and the jersey stripes.
Hawthorn Hawks – The 2008 premiers. Good use of some difficult colours to work with. Brown and yellow are not the most appealing combination. The new stylized hawk they have come up with is very modern, with a tough expression on the face of it. The hawks typeface is very basic, but that draws attention the the shield with the hawk. They haven’t gone overboard with detail here. Appealing to youth and the modern game.
North Melbourne Kangaroos – First thing I notice is you can’t read the title below, very unclear and particularly because of the use of a light grey colour on white background, which is not great for type readability. The image of the kangaroo with the football is effective, simple and modern, but I think I would have foregone the use of the light grey and stuck to the club colours.
Melbourne Demons – I think what this club has done with their logo is a big mistake. Their previous logo was one of the best logo designs I have ever seen. Why on earth change it to this? There is no longer any appearance of the demon, the club emblem. It has taken simple, too far. Boring, boring, boring and completely unappealing. And this is the club I barrack for!
Port Adelaide Power – Did they use the graphics designer from King’s Quest? Eek The title is very basic, the illustration is very blocky and tacky. Good use of their colours and I like the way it shows the black and white stripes of their old traditional jersey prior to AFL, but that cartoon image of the arm kills it for me.
Richmond Tigers – This has to be the most detailed of all the logos. A complex illustration, you don’t usually see that in a logo because it is more difficult to reproduce on some media. They have also used full colour though strong use of club colours yellow and black. Much use of lighting and shading. It is effective and would have taken a lot of work to design, but more appropriate for a t-shirt image than a logo, to me.
St Kilda Saints – A modern version of a traditional shield logo. It is the appropriate sort of logo for this club as that shield is very recognizable to st kilda saints and has long been associated. I like the modern feel to it and not overly complex. Easy to reproduce and brought into modern times while still maintaining tradition.
Sydney Swans – Another great example of simple but effective. I’ve always loved the way the opera house shape in behind the swan could also be seen as the swan’s tail feathers. Symbolizes both the swan and Sydney very well. Also the red ‘V’ represents the jersey pattern. This logo represents all aspects of the club’s recognizable emblems well, without going over the top in complexity.
West Coast Eagles – Pretty slick. Streamlined illustration, evokes the feeling of speed, force and power. Nicely designed title too. Possibly could have had stronger emphasis on blue and yellow, and it may lack in instant recognition as representing the club, but overall this is a very appealing logo.
Western Bulldogs – A stylized bulldog profile that really looks like he’s coming to get you. Simple yet tough. Instantly recognizable with great usage of the 3 emblems of the club, being the bulldog, the jersey and the colours.
Lisa is a graphical and pre-press designer with more than 15 years experience. She runs her own agency Twilight Emerald from Ballarat, Victoria Australia.
