Carolina Panthers Logo Update

Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers of the NFL announced the adoption of a new logo and wordmark (seen above) after Nike leaked an image of the logo on facebook. This is the first time in the team's seventeen year history that a change has been made to the logos, similar to changes by the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions in previous seasons.


LOGO
The new logo is not that much different to the original, and should be generalized as an update rather than a complete overhaul. Most notably, the Panther was given a more dynamic look, with depth being added to a previously flat looking logo. this was done through the addition of "electric blue" highlights, most notably around the face. 


On the previous logo, this blue was only seen as an outline, and was not placed to provide the illusion of depth, creating a flat logo. Other notable changes have been made to the eyes, nose, whiskers, and teeth, which have been simplified in order to give a sleeker, stylized look. 

The old (left) and new (right) Carolina Panthers logos

WORDMARK

The Panthers new wordmark has also been modernized (drastically). Previously, the wordmark was considered one of the worst ever, and looked as though it was scribbled out using a marker. This gave off a very 90's feel, which was fine during the 1990s, but did not translate well as time went on and styles changed. 

The new wordmark is relatively generic by today's standards (see Lions font in link above). The current font is a modified version of Trade Gothic Bold Condensed Oblique. The most notable changes are the addition of serifs on many of the letters. Also, on several letters, a notch, symbolizing a claw scratch, is added. An exception to this is the A in Panthers, which contains three claw marks. 

Old (top) and New (bottom) Panthers wordmarks

Now, I personally like the new logo and wordmark, and feel that they are an upgrade over the previous set. However, the new logo is extremely sloppy from a design standpoint, reducing the quality. 

First, the eyes. The designer of this logo did a poor job on the eyes, specifically the left one (viewer's right). This eye is especially small and clumsily drawn, giving the appearance that the Panther is squinting, which does not portray ferociousness. 

Next, is the chin. Not only is the chin exceptionally distracting by flowing into the mouth, but it also cuts off the black on the left cheek in an awkward way, which makes that area look pixelated. Obviously this is a tough thing for many to picture with words, so if needed, look at this diagram that helps point out these (and other) design flaws.

The final part of the logo that needs critiquing is the forehead. The Panther's forehead (and ear) area is a complete mess. First, the stroke thickness is very inconsistent, being very thick at points, while getting overly thin at others. In order for a logo to look clean and professional, stroke width should be relatively uniform throughout the logo.


The locations in which the blue lines thin create problems of their own. In these areas (above the eyes, in particular) large chunks of negative space appear. Negative space is okay when utilized properly, but in this case, the negative space is just black, and doesn't provide any depth or motion.


However, the worst part of this entire logo is located just near the right (viewer's left) ear. 

 At this point, where the forehead highlight meets the ear highlight, there is a small intersection point. This is incredibly sloppy, and a very amateur mistake. This small divot takes all the flow out of the logo, making it appear disjointed. In this case, the highlight should either remove this direction change, making the path smooth, or make the change much sharper, adding definition to the change between the ear and forehead. Clearly, I would not expect a casual fan to ever notice something this small, but to a designer, this is a completely inexcusable mistake for a professional (who is hired by the NFL no less) to make.


Fixing all these mistakes would create a much stronger logo, and so you don't have to imagine what this new logo would look like, Fraser Davidson (One of the best logo designers in the world) has developed an updated version of the logo with revisions added. 

From Left to Right: The original, new, and revised Panthers logos

In the end, the new logo isn't bad; to me, it is a definite upgrade. However, numerous design flaws hold the logo back from being phenomenal. Davidson's logo, which addresses the problems, is probably the best I have seen, and gives the panther depth, and ferociousness that the current logo lacks.
Obviously, that is my opinion, but what do you have to say about the logo? Like it? Hate it? I''d like to hear your opinions.


NOTE: Numerous online sources attribute the design to Nike, who has obtained the rights to design the NFL's uniforms starting next season. However, this is incorrect. The logo was actually made by the NFL's creative department.