Houston Astros Logo PNG
To emphasize their significance in sports, the Houston Astros franchise chose a seal as its logo. This classic element signals leadership and authority, in this case in baseball. The star at the center underscores the idea of superiority or, at the very least, the aspiration toward it.
The Houston Astros are a professional baseball team. Until 1999, it played in the National League, where it spent 51 seasons. Since 2000, it has been a member of Major League Baseball, competing in the Western Division. The team was founded in 1962 and is based in Houston, Texas.
After its formation, the club bore a different name: for two years (until 1964, inclusive), it was called the “Houston Colt .45s”. The name was revised during Roy Hofheinz’s reign, who led the team until 1975 and then sold it to General Electric and Ford Motor Company.
In 1979, entrepreneur John McMullen acquired the franchise. He owned it for almost 15 years. In 1993, it was transferred to Drayton McLane Jr. In 2011, Jim Crane purchased it. On November 15 of that year, it was announced that the new owner would move the team to the AL for the 2013 season. This move was part of MLB’s overall reorganization plans, for which the league’s leadership paid Crane $70 million.
The club’s original name was “Houston Colt .45s”. It changed in 1965 because of the growing popularity of the space industry, since the city where the franchise is located is closely tied to it. Houston has prepared American astronauts since 1961, and “Astros,” from Greek, means “star.”
The “Houston Astros” have several logos, from simple inscriptions to complex graphical symbols. The debut version featured a blue colt, but the team removed it after the name change. In ’65, it was replaced by the so-called rondel, a classic sign in the center surrounded by other elements.
Meaning and History
The “Houston Astros” club debuted in 1962 as the “Houston Colt 45s”. The team has seven logos; the first four included both the name and an image, while the current logo consists almost entirely of the name on a blue background. Almost the entire history of the “Houston Astros” logo is a step-by-step transformation of the word “Astros.” This continued until a logo featuring the capital letter “H” appeared, marking the beginning of the club’s name. Designers proposed it in 2013. The management liked it, so further logo modifications were temporarily halted. The approved version meets modern requirements: it’s easy to use on informational media, is well recognized, uses clear typography, and fully “encryption” the name.
What is Houston Astros?
The baseball team “Houston Astros” represents the most populous city in the South of the USA and has been a member of the “Western American League” since 2013. It appeared relatively recently, in 1962. Initially, the franchise was known as the “Houston Colt .45s”, but after moving to a new stadium in 1965, it adopted a different name that has remained unchanged since.
1962 – 1964
The club created its first logo in 1962. It featured a blue pistol, with smoke from the barrel forming the letter “C” in the word “Colt.” Below the pistol was the word “45s”. At the very top, in a blue semicircle, the word “Houston” was depicted.
1965 – 1976
The club changed its name to the “Houston Astros.” The second logo featured a white “Astrodome” on an orange background. Around the building, two baseballs rotate, and their trajectories are drawn alongside the balls. This concept resembles atomic movement. Along with the stadium, the name “Astros” appears in blue.
1977 – 1993
The “Astros” logo changed as the “Astrodome” shrank in blue and white tones, with a slight increase in the size of the letters in “Astros.” The logo kept the baseballs and their trajectories.
1994
The new logo design featured a dark blue stadium shape with a thin golden outline and the team’s name written on it. The word “Houston” is in white, and “Astros” is in gold with a white outline. In the top right corner, a flying golden star also appears.
1995 – 1999
The 1995 logo removed the stadium shape entirely, leaving only the golden flying star and the team’s name in blue. The arrangement of the logo elements remained unchanged.
2000 – 2012
In the early 2000s, the club changed its logo again. The new version uses the team’s abbreviated name, “Astros,” in black with a thin yellow-brown contour and the same underline. Above the name, there is a brick-gold star.
2013 – today
The current emblem is concise, with graphics that perfectly convey all the necessary information. The central letter “H” stands for “Houston,” the five-pointed star represents “Astros,” and the circular rondel continues traditions.
The logo features thin dividing lines that define a wide band bearing the club’s full name. This design makes the sign popular, as it resembles the stars in a ring on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. A solid blue band runs around the circle’s edge.
Font and Colors
The classic element of this baseball team’s emblem is the large five-pointed star with the capital letter “H” in the background. The star nods to the region’s space traditions, as it’s where the space industry’s primary objects are concentrated. The letters on the logo represent the club’s name and the city it’s based in. A ring surrounds them. A wide blue band follows, bearing the team’s full name: “Houston” at the top and “Astros” at the bottom. Early versions also depicted the observatory’s main building and a satellite’s orbit.
Initially, designers proposed a chopped font with single-ended lines for the logo, embodying the rays of a star. Then came a version with handwritten text and lowercase letters. In 2013, they approved a version with the strong serifs of Player Bold, created by Patrick Griffin and developed by Canada Type.
The team’s official palette includes three colors, each represented in the emblem. The background is dark blue, the star and dividing lines are orange, and the central letter and the club name are white.
FAQ
What does “Astro” in the “Houston Astros” mean?
The baseball club “Houston Astros” got its nickname in honor of the “Astrodome” stadium, where it moved in 1965. Because of its massive dome and technological innovations, the structure was designated the Eighth Wonder of the World. The stadium’s name honors the US space program, which had a significant impact on Houston.
Why did the “Houston Astros” change their logo?
Rumors suggest that the “Houston Astros” team changed its logo in 2013 to distance itself from its mundane past. Before, its performance wasn’t very successful, so the rebranding was meant to distract fans from the poor play and focus on the contemporary design. Moreover, the new style was meant to spur consumer interest in merchandise.
What does the “Astros” logo represent?
The “Houston Astros” logo features a blue circle. It’s divided into two large segments by orange rings. Inside is a large white letter “H,” outlined in thin grey and set in a bold, massive, rectangular-serif font. It’s depicted atop an orange five-pointed star. In the wide frame, the phrase “HOUSTON ASTROS” is written in white.
In what year did the “Astros” change their logo?
The “Houston Astros” logo has changed several times: in 1965, 1975, 1994, 1995, 2000, and 2013. The 2013 version is still in use today.