Maple Leafs to unveil new logo Tuesday
/Toronto is arguably the center of the hockey world and its NHL franchise is about to do something crazy — change its logo!
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced earlier today that they will unveil the new design this Tuesday, Feb. 2. But for those who can't wait, I may be able to help.
I recently got a chance to see the new logo for myself and can share my thoughts. It's a new design but heavily inspired by the past. That's the hallmark of hockey design in the last decade — and not at all surprising from one of the league's oldest clubs.
It's modeled on the leaf that was introduced in 1938 minus the double outline that was added in the the 1960s — the logo we all know well from the third jersey the Leafs wore from 2000 to 2011.
The new design features updates to the veins and the typeface as seen in the sneak peek from the Leafs' tweet today. In fact, I can confirm that the type seen in that image (top) is indeed from the new logo.
I've created a mock-up based on what I saw to give you an idea of what we'll be seeing Tuesday. To demonstrate, I started with the logo from the aforementioned third jersey, therefore the outline is not exact.
The new design features a new leaf shape. And the type style is not completely accurate here either, but you can see the new type in today's official teaser.
So here's what I've got in blue and white.
Again, this is a mock-up, so don't be surprised when you start spotting the differences from the real thing on Tuesday. But it is in the neighborhood.
Essentially, the team has taken the old logo from 1938 and modernized it.
I think it's a great look. You satisfy the folks who love a throwback just as much as the people who'd rather not see anything changed too much. It's a logo that feels familiar and novel all at the same time. That's a tough needle to thread but I think the Leafs have nailed it.
Will the new look return them to glory on the ice? No, but it's a nice refresh anyway.
By the way, I'm curious to see what they do with the sweaters and if there are any new secondary logos introduced. I haven't seen any of those yet.
Keep an eye out on Tuesday. I think you'll like what you see.