Atlanta Hawks Logo PNG
The oldest basketball team in the league, the Atlanta Hawks, whose logo reflects its name, was founded in 1946 in Illinois. The club was named in honor of a Native American chief, paying tribute to the state’s history. The emblem symbolizes aggressiveness, bravery, and the power of intuition.
Atlanta Hawks: Brand overview
No NBA team has traveled through as many states and cities as this one, one of the league’s oldest. “The Hawks” were founded in 1946 in the NBL as the Buffalo Bisons. In their first season, before New Year’s Day, the team left Buffalo, landed in Illinois, and was renamed the “Black Hawks.”
More precisely, the club was named Tri-Cities Black Hawks. Tri-Cities refers to a region consisting of three cities. It’s about three small settlements on the border of Illinois and Iowa. They were named Black Hawks for the same reason as their NHL namesake, in honor of a Native American chief who led his tribe to war in the mid-19th century.
Tri-Cities was one of the few clubs to survive in its league. The NBL, which included teams such as the “Indianapolis Kautskis,” merged with the Basketball Association of America in 1949, creating the NBA. However, the “Black Hawks” didn’t stay long in Illinois and moved north in 1951.
While in Wisconsin, an agricultural state, the leaders realized that the club’s name was inappropriate and shortened it to Milwaukee Hawks. However, this second experiment also failed, and four years later, the “Hawks” moved to St. Louis, where they retained the name and wore red, white, and blue uniforms. The design of the uniform varied: sometimes the team wore images of the Hawks or St. Louis on their chests. There were also times when they didn’t use the aforementioned designs.
In St. Louis, the club spent 13 seasons and even won the NBA championship, but then decided to move again. This was to be their last relocation. Thus, in 1968, the “Hawks” settled in Atlanta, where the team still plays today. The team has no championship titles but is proud of its rich history of club colors and emblems.
Meaning and History
This is a very old team, tracing its career back to the middle of the last century. Its logo, which has evolved throughout the franchise’s history into a fierce hawk, has been in place for just as long. The predatory bird is depicted on almost all the brand emblems except for one. There are eleven in total. For the first 38 days after the franchise’s founding, it was named the Buffalo Bisons. Then it moved to Moline, Illinois, and took on a new name. In 1973, a hawk’s head appeared on the logo, resembling the Pac-Man character, which returned in 2014.
What is Atlanta Hawks?
This team emerged in 1946 and changed its name several times before becoming the “Atlanta Hawks.” It participates in the National Basketball Association’s Southeast Division of the North American League. As of 2021, the home games are held at State Farm Arena, and a large share of the team’s ownership belongs to American billionaire Anthony P. Ressler.
1946 – 1951
The club’s official history began with the name Tri-City Blackhawks. This term was the basis for the debut logo, a basketball. On a blue background, there are three thin stripes: one in the center and two on the sides, forming an oval inscribed in a circle. It also mentions several cities: Moline/Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. They are separated by the team name and arranged horizontally in two lines.
1951 – 1955
When the club was renamed Milwaukee Hawks, the logo was redesigned. Its only element became a hawk holding a ball in its talons. The bird, flapping its wings, throws it into a basketball hoop. Below is the inscription MILWAUKEE HAWKS in the form of an inverted arch. All details are outlined in red. Some areas are fully colored.
1955 – 1957
In 1955, the franchise moved again, becoming the St. Louis Hawks. During this period, the designers changed the arrangement of the elements and proposed a version with a black flying predator and a disproportionately large ball in its talons.
1957 – 1968
At the beginning of this period, a new emblem was approved, concise and very simple. There are no superfluous elements, only a hawk standing with a ball under its arm. It wears a sports uniform and knee pads. All elements are white with red edging.
1968 – 1969
This logo is the same as the previous one: a hawk holding a basketball. It has a sharp, hook-like beak, a serious piercing look, and the Hawks logo. The designers removed the text under the bird and replaced the red outline with black.
1969 – 1970
Experiments continued after the team’s relocation and transition to “Atlanta Hawks” status with an updated logo. It depicts a hawk running with the ball to the right. The position of the legs conveys movement: one leg is raised. The wing arms work similarly: the left is drawn back, and the right leads the ball. The white shirt with a red inscription and knee pads remains the same.
1970 – 1972
The emblem of this period underwent a radical redesign. It consists of two parts: graphic and textual. The first is a round badge, inside which there is a schematic representation of a sharp-beaked hawk. It is located within a green circle outlined in blue, merging with the predatory bird’s image. On the right is the stylized name of the club, typed in round capital letters.
1972 – 1995
In 1972, a new sports complex was opened in Atlanta. At the same time, the hockey team Flames was founded. In connection with this, the “Hawks” colored their uniform in red, white, and yellow, the colors of their hockey brethren. The new logo version, proposed by the developers in 1972, has the most impressive design. It resembles Pac-Man, a character from a famous computer game. But in fact, on the round symbol, a hawk is drawn: its outlines are represented by a solid red line connecting the contour of the ring with the contour of the bird’s head, facing right.
1995 – 2007
In 1995, the emblem underwent significant changes: a realistic hawk is depicted in flight, with its wings spread. It is shown in the profile, so it appears to look straight ahead. The appearance is menacing and intimidating, designed to make an impression on opponents. In its hook-like talons, the bird holds a basketball. The beak and legs are yellow, the feathers are dark red, the tail and wingtips are black, and the ball is light brown. Above the hawk is the inscription “ATLANTA HAWKS.”
2007 – 2015
In 2007, the leaders took the next step in changing the club’s image. After the redesign, the developers left the previous logo, except for the font and color scheme. They removed yellow from the palette, replaced black with blue, and painted the ball gray.
2015 – 2020
In 2015, a new Atlanta Hawks emblem was introduced, and the organization’s official name was changed to the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club. However, under NBA rules, the reuse of the old emblem is prohibited. The basis for the modern version was the 1972-1995 emblem. It is printed with a redesigned “PacMan” in the center. Thanks to the wide lines, the hawk’s outline is now clearly visible. Behind it is a wide, solid circle with the inscriptions ATLANTA HAWKS (at the top) and BASKETBALL CLUB (at the bottom). All elements are taken in a double ring.
Since the text is secondary, the font is simple and unobtrusive. The current logo uses a chopped grotesque because it lacks classic serifs. But on the sides of the letters, there are hook-like mini-protrusions, a reminder of the sharp beak of a predatory bird. The signature palette includes red, black, and white colors. For some time, blue and gray colors were also used.
2020 – today
The new Atlanta Hawks logo debuted on the eve of the 2020-21 NBA season. The designers kept the franchise symbol a hawk, whose head is depicted in a circle using negative space. This bird embodies the sports team’s attacking, aggressive style. On the outer ring, the brand name and the word “BASKETBALL” are still written. They are executed in a bold font with rectangular serifs. The red has become much darker than in the previous version.
Font and Colors
Each version of the brand’s logo echoes the name “Hawks,” so it features a hawk, ranging from anthropomorphic to realistic. It has a menacing appearance, a sharp beak, clawed feet, and a basketball. The latest modification of the emblem is presented as a classic rondel.
On the eve of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks updated their font, which is reflected in their official logo. The basketball club’s name is now written in capital letters with large rectangular serifs. The font appears to be a modified version of Insigne Design’s Look Serif Bold. All glyphs are written in capital letters and stretched vertically.
After the redesign, red was retained but darkened. Its shade is close to #a11f28. The white color, as before, fills the gaps between elements, highlights the inscription, and creates the silhouette of the hawk’s head in the negative space.
FAQ
Why Did the “Atlanta Hawks” Change Their Logo?
In the early years, the team changed its logo due to renamings and relocations. When it became the “Atlanta Hawks” in 1968, the design experiments did not end. In 2015, the basketball club revived the iconic PacMan-style hawk-head emblem because the previous version featuring a flying bird was too large and complex. On the other hand, today’s logos are simple and round.
Did the “Atlanta Hawks” Change Their Logo?
Yes, the “Atlanta Hawks” logo was changed in 2020. The designers preserved the overall concept and structure. They simply removed the word “CLUB,” made the font clearer for easier reading, and increased the contrast between the background and light elements by darkening the red by a few shades.
Who Designed the “Atlanta Hawks” Logo?
The bird head logo, introduced in 1972 and nicknamed the Pac-Man, was created by a young designer, Bob Wages, who had recently joined McDonald’s. This hawk drawing was integrated into the modern emblem of the sports franchise.
Why is “MLK” Depicted on the Hawks’ Jersey?
The mysterious letters “MLK” on the Atlanta Hawks’ uniform stand for “Martin Luther King Jr.” This is a tribute to the civil rights leader born in Atlanta, who became the movement’s main leader for African Americans’ civil rights. He advocated nonviolent protest. At the same time, the 22 stars on the basketball shorts represent the number of times he was arrested.