Monday open thread: Which NFL team has the best logo?

Maybe you should judge a book by its cover.

Branding is an ever-important aspect of a sports team. It gives a team an identity and a culture. The Raiders and their Raider Nation is notorious for rocking silver and black outfits, a tough image to match their patch-wearing logo. The Vikings and their skol chant is an iconic sound. The Packers have their cheeseheads.

Making a great logo is not an exact science. Design, color scheme, and cultural importance are critical to having a well received logo. We have seen multiple examples of good and poor logos this year alone.

The two Los Angeles football teams, the Chargers and Rams, both announced new logos this year and to polar opposite reactions. The Chargers received decent support with minor changes to their bolt logo. The Rams, however...

The NHL’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, have received widespread praise for their logos, particularly their secondary logo which features the Space Needle hidden in an anchor. Another Washington team—this one in D.C.—fared much worse in its quest for a new identity.

The Washington Football Team is obviously less controversial than its predecessor, but... well... they chose the name Washington Football Team. Uninspiring at best, hilariously lame at worst, there is practically nothing good about this identity. While it is considered a temporary name until they rebrand, it is nonetheless an embarrassing chapter in the team’s history. The name might not even be in place next season, showcasing the difficulty of doing an entire identity change. Still... they’re now called the Washington Football Team.

Let’s focus on the good instead.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which NFL team has the best logo?

My answer: It’s a tough question with a lot of good answers.

You could be in favor of classics like the Buffalo Bills or the Cincinnati Reds Chicago Bears. You could prefer modern iterations like the Jacksonville Jaguars or Seattle Seahawks. You could be a fan of the simplistic logos of the Indianapolis Colts or Dallas Cowboys.

I, however, adore the Detroit Lions logo.

I really wanted to give another answer for the sake of not appearing biased, but the Lions have an incredible logo. It’s a perfect balance of excellent colors, a simple design that is still complex, and a modern design that still invokes a classic feel. The Lions made a great upgrade back in 2009 when they switched from the so-called “Bubbles” lion, and the silver outline they added in 2017 further improved the look.

The Lions might not have had the on-field success that we’ve desired, but at least they look good.

Your turn.