Christian Cullen, Staff Writer
Before reading this article, take a look at sports logos from the 90s and compare them to today. The Toronto Raptors' velociraptors have been replaced with a sophisticated basketball. Just 10 years ago, the LA Clippers logo was more vibrant than his current circular LAC. Take a look at today's MLB uniforms and compare them to last year's uniforms. There is a trend toward minimalist design, not just in sports but in design in general. It's obviously ugly, but it's also a major driving force behind the vintage movement.
Start with a theme that is easy to tackle. Objectively speaking, sports logos and memorabilia have followed this design path. Some logos are minimalist and always have been. I'm not criticizing Ohio State's “O” or the helmet. The problem lies with the team who revamped their logo from a more vibrant to a more minimalist one. I mentioned the Toronto Raptors, but I'll focus more on them here. The Raptor logo was a staple of his '90s and had a close association with the team. The logo has a personality and a life. Its replacements don't have that.
Xavier also has his own example. Running Man has been replaced by X. While X has been pretty solid when it comes to design changes, there's a reason people are excited about the Running Man uniform. There are many examples, but the key is that sports design has moved towards a minimalist mindset. In doing so, the team loses a little bit of what gives it life and a culture of support. Design should be exciting. They should lean a little fancier! have fun!
Beyond sports, there are other examples of more minimalist design. Remember the old Instagram logo? Or how about the old YouTube logo? How elaborate and minimalist the character designs were in animated TV commercials for DoorDash and Kroger (two recent examples) Have you ever noticed? Advertising design has killed marketing. Architecture is another example. A cookie-cutter home with the same white counters and the same bland exterior. The interior design is based on black, beige, or white.
I mentioned that this partially inspired the vintage movement. Returning to the sports example, most of what is considered vintage at this point uses old logos that teams have rebranded. But it's clear that he still has a deep appreciation for old college logos from the '70s (think British Wildcats and his UofL Cardinals). There are still requests for the Patriot Pats and old Jets logos.
Sports teams have simply created a vintage market to make their designs look more “cool” or in line with current trends. Whether it's because of nostalgia (forced when a team pivots to a new design) or because they legitimately like it better, people still want these old designs. In any case, these old designs are still in demand. Some teams, like the Detroit Pistons, have even reintroduced them.
Obviously, there's no vintage market for things like old Instagram logos or old house designs. I still believe there is a separate desire from nostalgia for marketing and design that is less focused on minimalism. I used the word “fashionable” several times. If you look around you with this word in mind, you'll see just how “sophisticated” things are.
I hope more active design returns to our culture. Certain things, especially sports logos, shouldn't be taken so seriously. Be stupid! Be creative! Most of the time, don't let your design be boring. Minimalism often does.