Every Thursday we will be taking a look at logos from around sports. Whether they are designed interestingly, look absolutely terrible, or have a hidden message in them, no logo is off limits and hopefully you will learn something every week. Click here for link to previous Look At That Logo segments
Week 3 – Same Logo, Different Team
When it comes to sports logos, some have awesome logos, some have average logos, some have bad logos…and then there are some that have, well, the exact same logo!
Above you have 3 Division 1 schools who have literally the exact same logo, with their respective schools colors in place. Syracuse Orange, Stanford Cardinal, and Michigan State Spartans, all have the exact same S logo, and only difference is the change in colors.
How can you not have something more original, and how is it legal in a time of trademarks and copyrights, to have the exact same design in a logo. Can you imagine if a burger company attempted to use the McDonald’s golden arches for their logo? It wouldn’t even make it past the first day of business before a lawsuit or cease and decisit would be in place. Yet, for years and years these schools have had the same letter logo, and nothing changes.
Granted, each school has a different secondary logo that they will occasionally use (specifically Michigan State and their Spartan head logo), but Syracuse and Stanford both use their S on their helmets in football and hats/jerseys in other sports. It is just crazy to me how this is something that doesn’t cause problems in the world of trademarks and copyrights.
Here we have an example of the same logo, different color schemes, however across various divisions/leagues. The Green Bay Packers of the NFL, Georgia Bulldogs of Division 1-A, and Grambling State Tigers of Division 1-AA, all use the same G – again changing their colors. Granted when it comes to the colleges, these are there athletics logos and not the schools official seal/logo.
Do these schools/organizations not view each other as big enough of a threat to business/association to a logo to casue a fuss about it? Or is it a mutual agreement that they won’t force the others to change?
It is just interesting to me that so many teams are this way, and nothing is ever really brought up about it.
Have any cool logo suggestions? Let me know.
Till Next Time,
Trevor
Comments are closed