This article is a continuation from a deep dive, posted here: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=139701
These ratings will have a much more extensive explanation than what is seen in the original 6 posted as a deep dive.

To reiterate for those who don’t feel the need to click on the original post, here are the guidelines provided for my rankings:
I’m going to break down my thoughts on the design and the craft of a handful of logos in the league. I’ll be giving each team a 1-10 score, and I’ll provide some reasoning behind my decision. All logo critiques are made based on the team's logo in the portal.

10/10
I’ll start out by saying that I love this logo. I think it is one of the best logos in terms of both design and functionality. The imagery of a cut log with the axes fits perfectly with both the team name as well as the general vibes that Maine gives off, being a giant forest for the most part. I think the design of the logo is smooth as well, having the M carved out of the log, and lining it up with the axe blades is a really cool touch. The upscaling process was pretty nice to this logo as well, seeing as there are very few noticeable issues from it. I think the colors are also a good choice to create a strong palette for the team’s branding.

7.5/10
This is another logo that I enjoy the design of, but have some critiques of the craft. I really like the branding behind this logo, using (what I assume is) a Desert Bighorn Sheep to symbolize the state of Nevada, as well as an animal that appears tough with the horns and the very tense look on its face. The color palette of this logo is also very strong, even despite my own personal distaste for the color brown. There are a few design critiques that I still have for this logo that are taking away from its rating. Most notably, the gradient on the text. I personally am not a huge fan of gradients, as they don’t look super professional and can be hard to translate out of the digital world. I think it can work for this logo, but it isn’t super beneficial. I would love to see a newer take on this logo with the triangle in the background being the state of Nevada instead of just a triangle too, just because it would look cool Smile

9/10
Another logo with excellent imagery. The dude in the logo looks mad as hell, and the addition of the wolf pelt melting into his mustache is a nice add. I love the color palette as well, red white and gray, it allows for lots of creativity. The logo isn’t overrun with detail either, keeping it simple while still being very distinct and recognizable. Additionally, congratulations on being the first logo where I don’t see any vector problems, which is huge for them. There are certainly ways that this logo could be improved, but It works well as is. I really like this logo, and so it gets one of the higher scores on the list.

10/10
This is another logo in the running for my favorite in the league. It’s such a cool and interesting design, and crafted excellently. The sword being turned into a hockey stick towards the end, the checkered pattern on his clothing, are all great. The color palette is also one of my favorites, with 3 pretty distinct colors from the rest of the league. I also love the text in this one, it really helps to add a lot of character to the design. This logo also is very well crafted as a vector, and is another on the short list of logos that must have been properly designed in a vector program. My only real critique of this logo is that the checkered pattern gets a little bit distracting when shrunk down, but I wouldn’t argue that it makes the design any worse. Excellent job to whoever made this logo.

9.5/10
This logo is beautiful. The color palette is excellent, and seems pretty representative of the general colors seen in many Quebec teams in other leagues. I particularly enjoy the use of (again, what I believe is) the Snowy Owl, which is Quebec’s official bird. The simple design really brings it all together, and is really clean. The idea of a “citadelle” doesn’t leave too much in the way of options for creative logos, so branching out to a symbol of the region itself was a smart choice. The C at the center seemingly representing the fortress idea of a citadelle with the multiple outline stroke on the C is a great way to include the actual team into the logo. The only reason that this logo isn’t also a 10 is because it does suffer from some issues in the smaller details because of vector upscaling. The C in the middle is particularly messy after this, losing a lot of the edge on the shape itself. Overall, another excellent logo, and one that would likely top the list.

10/10
I am gonna go out on a limb and guess that this logo was made a bit more recently than the others, and the creativity certainly shows. Having the hockey player surfing on a wave is such a smart design choice, as well as including the skyline of San Diego into the background of the design. The text on this logo is also very fitting with the logo as well. I can tell this was made by a more professional artist, as the gradient on the text is very smooth and well done, to the extent that it works well. This team is another one that has a great color palette, with the Orange and Blue colors being really interesting and fresh compared to some of the other logos. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if there is additional symbolism in this logo that I am missing out on, but I just really love the design of this one. In terms of professional clean design, this would be my pick for the best in the J.

2/10
I’m very sorry St Louis, but you guys win the worst logo award. There are a few redeeming qualities to it, such as the scarecrow seeming pretty fitting for a team planted firmly in the middle of the US, certainly surrounded by cornfields. The idea for the design is not too bad either, although I would say it lacks a bit of extra creativity that wouldn’t hurt. There are lots of things to critique about this logo, so i’ll try not to be too harsh. Most notably, this logo was almost certainly upscaled from a very low quality image, as the edges on every single part of this are choppy and pixelated, which shouldn’t be possible with a vector image. The color palette of the logo also leaves much to be desired, again having that same muddy brown that just doesn’t work well with most team’s branding. I understand it is representing the canvas bag color that would often form the head, but it just doesn’t work. Overall, lots to be desired here, but certainly not impossible to get a good logo by using this as a jumping off point.

8/10
This logo appears to be another one that was made more recently. It has some excellent design, and I think the implementation of the walleye over the text works well. The color palette on this logo is another excellent one, with the orange and purple working rather well together. I had to dock some points for the (over)use of gradients on the yellow/orange color. I think the logo could be just as strong without them and the addition makes it look a bit tacky. The craft of the logo is excellent however, with the wordmark being well crafted and fitting with the rest of the design. Another overall good design with a few small critiques.

6/10
This does truly hurt me, as a member of the team, but the whalers logo definitely leaves a lot to be desired. I think the color palette for the logo is very strong, and can allow for a very creative design, but what currently is in place is not it. The craft of this logo is especially poor, with pretty visible white outlines that do not seem intentional. The logo also suffers from vector scaling, with lots of rounded edges and strange alignments. The biggest issue I have with this logo is the text at the top. The tracking on the text is all over the place, with the individual kerning between each letter not even really being equal. I think there could certainly have been a more creative typeface used as well, since it seems like the V is the only real different one. BUT! I do have plans to attempt a redesign of this logo, so keep an eye out for that over in the graphics page Wink

7/10
I think this logo works well to establish the branding of a malamute, plus with the more creative use of color than many would have. I think this logo suffers from a certain lack of differentiation. There are already multiple other logos that look pretty similar to this, with the color really being the only differentiator. I like the idea of having a malamute as the logo, because of its connection to the Yukon region, however it comes down to being another lackluster logo. Unfortunately, it also suffered greatly in the transition to vector, as there are lots of strangely rounded edges and artifacts. Overall, it definitely works as a logo, which is why I still rated it pretty high, but I think it would benefit greatly from a more creative rebrand, possibly incorporating more of the visual aspects of dogsleds or other related topics.

Overall, I think every logo in the league is good. Some more than others, but they all do their job well. They all show a good level of creativity in their design and color palette, and many of them fit very well with both the team name as well as the city/region that they are representing.


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