The Stanley Cup playoffs are being transformed for the first time in 13 seasons.
On Monday, the NHL unveiled new branding for its postseason with the most photorealistic version of the Stanley Cup it has ever used in a logo.
“We felt it was time for a fresh and energetic change. This has been partly due to COVID, and with two new broadcast partners, it’s a good time for us to explore what a new, reimagined Stanley Cup might look like.” – Paul. This was announced to ESPN by NHL vice president of creative services Conway.
The NHL has used the same basic logo for the last 13 seasons. The company has been working on reimagining this logo for over two years.
The redesign consisted of three main components:
Fonts: The design team wanted to create new fonts based on the history of the Cup. Taking inspiration from the 1925 Stanley Cup-winning Victoria Cougars engraving of the trophy, the NHL created the “Victoria SC Serif”. The second font was inspired by the entrance to the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, where the NHL was founded in 1917. They named it Windsor Sans.
Cup update: The logo cup illustration is more photorealistic than previous incarnations. Designers went through “hundreds” of incarnations trying to mimic its reflective properties. For the first time, engravings on the trophy were highlighted as requested by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“Initially, we submitted an illustration of the Gary Cup during the approval process. He thought it looked great, but said, “It’s missing the engravings,” Conway said. “It really brought him to the finish line. This is the only sports trophy that has all the winners engraved on it. Why don’t you tell this story?”
Keeping the shape: Along with the word and the Stanley Cup, the logo is framed by the shape of the championship banner that can be seen in the arena.
The pre-made logo can be customized for all 32 NHL teams, including applying the logo on a colored background. The designers said that it is possible to create animations around the new logo.
“All players dream of having their name immortalized in immortality, and the mission of every NHL team is to raise the banner of the championship. The future of this great game,” said NHL Chief Brand Manager and Senior Executive Vice President Bryan Jennings.