At first glance, it may seem that the Anaheim Ducks hockey club logo is abstract and that it depicts something incomprehensible. But in fact, this is not so: the emblem is super-realistic. It has a duck paw print on it. Subconsciously, it may be associated with the desire of the team to leave its mark on the sport’s history.
Anaheim Ducks: Brand overview
Founded: | 1993 |
Founder: | Henry & Susan Samueli |
Headquarters: |
Anaheim, California, U.S. |
Website: | nhl.com |
The Anaheim Ducks are an ice hockey team from Anaheim, California. The club competes in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the NHL. The franchise was founded by Michael Eisner, the Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, in 1993. Anaheim’s city had a $ 103 million newly-built stadium that didn’t host any of the teams. After talking with Bruce McNall, the owner of the Los Angeles Kings, Eisner became convinced that the NHL would not mind-expanding the League to the western states of the U.S. Finally, the expansion was agreed upon. Gary Bettman, a new NHL commissioner, required Eisner to pay a $50 million entrance fee, half of which was compensation to McNeill for sharing the territorial rights. Michael Eisner became the owner of the hockey club.
A team received the first name “Mighty Ducks of Anaheim” in honor of young hockey players from Minnesota, the famous film heroes. The movie was released in 1992 and immediately became a hit and led to a unique sports history event. Thanks to the comedy, the new club joined the National Hockey League. Inspired by the film’s success, the director of the Walt Disney Corporation, Michael Eisner, a big fan of hockey and a father of two sons who played in children’s teams, acquired the rights to create a real NHL club in 1993.
The film grossed over $ 50 million in the U.S., so no wonder the franchise owners decided to name the team “Mighty Ducks.” Indeed, such a name was considered a great promoter of the brand to make money on and gain fans’ army from the very first day the team existed.
In 2006, after the club was sold, it was announced the team would be renamed as simply the “Anaheim Ducks” and change its emblem. The team from the Californian city of Anaheim is still called the Anaheim Ducks.
“To begin with, we had to decide on the shape and colors,” recalls general manager Jack Ferreira. “We sat in Walt Disney’s office and examined various sketches. The sweaters were supposed to be green-gold. It seemed to me that it looked too brilliant and pretentious, like a circus on the ice. In the end, we agreed on a more modest variant.” The primary colors were violet, jade, silver, and white.
The Anaheim Ducks logo was used in a Disney movie “D2: The Mighty Ducks”. In the form of a duck beak, a goalkeeper mask created for the famous Disney character of Donald Duckling ensured the team’s popularity outside of North America. The duckling on the logo was supposed to draw small fans’ attention, who will surely bring their parents to hockey. As a result, in the beginning, half of the spectators in the arena were children under 13 years old.
In 2005, the club changed its owner, who redesigned the mighty ducks’ logo, and the form lost its cartoonishness. In the modern Anaheim Ducks logo, not everyone understands that this is the footprint of a webbed duck foot, which eventually forms the letter D, meaning Ducks. And the general image of the Anaheim Ducks emblem gives the impulse of movement, expresses excitement, speed, and competitiveness.
Meaning and History
Throughout the existence of the Anaheim Ducks club, it has had three logos. Each has its flavor, which makes it, if not quickly recognizable, then at least unique. Walt Disney developed the foundation at the suggestion of the first owner of the Jack Ferreira franchise. He discussed with the animation master everything – from the color of hockey sweaters to elements of the franchise logo. The result is a cartoonish image that attracted the attention of fans.
What are Anaheim Ducks?
This is a professional-grade hockey team that represents the Pacific Division in the National Hockey League. She is also a member of the Western Conference. The Walt Disney Company founded it in 1993, named after the film Mighty Ducks. In 2005, the franchise was taken over by Henry and Susan Samueli.
1993 – 2006
The first Anaheim Ducks logo of the team based in Anaheim, called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, featured an upside-down turquoise triangle and a black circle inside it. The focal point of the logo was a duck-shaped goaltender mask placed over two crisscrossed yellow hockey sticks.
2006 – 2010
In 2006, the franchise shortened its name to Anaheim Ducks and changed the logo. Though formally, it was just a wordmark, it looked unique because of each letter’s peculiar shape. The text went in gold with orange and black outlines. The form of the letter “D” much differed from the rest. A bit elongated capital letter looked like a webbed foot. The black-scripted “Anaheim” wordmark was placed above the team name.
2010 – 2013
Dimmer colors compared to the 2006 logo and all the changes in the new emblem.
2013 – today
After a series of transformations, the designers left on the official symbols only a webbed duck paw – flat, resembling an imprint. But since the modern version is based on the previous emblem, it is not just a “trace” and the initial letter of the team name. The visual connection of the duck’s paw with the “D” is stylized very well. Each interior piece is neatly outlined with a white stripe, the exterior piece with a gray one.
In the center of the logo, three small strokes serve a dual role: they are a natural pattern on the membranes and an intra-letter gap. Instead of the usual side leg “D,” sharp protrusions are used, allowing you to combine two completely different elements – a letter and a paw.
Font and Colors
If the opening version is full of various details, then all subsequent ones, on the contrary, are minimalistic. They contain only the large word “Ducks” (2006 version) and one letter (2013 logo). Whereas in the first emblem, there is an indication of the corporate palette, the sport, and the team’s name. For this, the developers used a goalkeeper mask in the shape of a duck beak. It is set against a background of two crossed hockey sticks, a black circle, and an inverted triangle.
In the second and third variants of the logo, key attention is paid to the text elements. The stylized “D” serves a dual role: it denotes both the drawing and the title. This mark comes from the previous emblem, which used a personalized font. All characters in the word “Ducks” are in the upper case and have individual serifs in the form of sharp spikes. “Anaheim” is made with a chopped typeface.
The current version of the logo contains the baseball team’s signature palette: black, dark silver, orange, and metallic gold. White is also present, although not on the official list.
Anaheim Ducks color codes
Black | Hex color: | #111111 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 17 17 17 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
Metallic Gold | Hex color: | #b5985a |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 181 152 90 | |
CMYK: | 9 29 66 24 | |
Pantone: | PMS 465 C |
Orange | Hex color: | #f95602 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 249 86 2 | |
CMYK: | 0 65 100 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS Orange 021 C |
Silver | Hex color: | #a4a9ad |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 164 169 173 | |
CMYK: | 21 11 9 23 | |
Pantone: | PMS 429 C |
Why did Anaheim Ducks change their logo?
The Samueli family, which bought the team in 2005, decided to add some seriousness and rebranded it. Therefore, she got a new name (Anaheim Ducks) and a different logo – laconic and exactly corresponding to the name.
How did the Anaheim Ducks get their logo?
The original Anaheim Ducks logo took a long time to create because it came from 700 concepts. Since the Walt Disney Company owned the team, the cartoon style was adopted. The logo was designed by two animators: Tony Cipriano and Fred Tio.
What happened to the Mighty Ducks logo?
The Mighty Ducks logo, like the old team name, has been replaced with new variations. The designers removed the mask, sticks, puck and added a duck paw print – the footprint the Anaheim Ducks will leave in hockey. The color scheme has also been changed to include silver and orange.
Is the Mighty Ducks logo trademarked?
The Mighty Ducks logo is a trademark with registration number 1995934 and is owned by ANAHEIM DUCKS HOCKEY CLUB.