Houston Dynamo Logo

Houston Dynamo Logo PNG

The Houston Dynamo logo looks optimistic: it has the hope that success will follow any setbacks. It is a symbol of growth, development, new achievements, and well-deserved fame. The emblem is charged for victory: its very appearance understands the players’ fighting spirit. The internal energy of the sign represents the name of the club, which was named after the dynamo.

On November 6, 2005, MLS Commissioner Don Garber permitted Anschutz Entertainment Group to remove the Texas franchise. But he insisted on retaining the previous team’s name, colors, logo, and history in the new hometown. The owners had to agree on a compromise. So the franchise, including coaches, staff, and San Jose Earthquakes players, moved to Houston.

Before starting the 2006 season, Anschutz Entertainment Group held an on-line survey “Name the Team Sweepstakes” for the fans to provide suggestions for the name. “Houston 1836” was an obvious winner, having received more ballots than Mustangs, Spanish, Generals, Eagles, Buffaloes, and Apollos. According to AEG, the 1836 name referred to the year that Houston was founded (similar to the German TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Hannover 96).

However, it appeared that the chosen name had a double meaning since 1836 and the year of Texan Independence from Mexico. At the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution, the Texan army was led by General Sam Houston. So, the Houston 1836 logo featured his silhouette. Fans of Hispanic descent found this decision offensive.

To avoid political protests and to lose the Spanish-speaking fan club, the owners announced the team re-branding. The new name “Houston Dynamo” was introduced on March 7, 2006. It was a kind of allusion to Houston soccer history: the original Houston Dynamos played in the United Soccer League in 1984 and 1985.

The word “dynamo” (a shortening for a dynamo-electric machine) refers to the city’s energy-based industrial economy. It symbolizes constant movement, pace, and speed. Besides, it pays homage to Dynamo teams from Eastern European and the former Soviet Union countries.

On February 26, 2008, Anschutz Entertainment Group announced the partial sale of the franchise rights. At the moment, it holds 50% of ownership along with Golden Boy Promotions and Brener International Group. 50% of ownership belongs to Jake Silverstein, James Harden, and Ben Guill. The rest 50% is equally divided between Oscar De La Hoya and Gabriel Brener (each with 25% ownership).

Meaning and History

After the San Jose Earthquakes soccer club moved to Texas and became known as Houston 1836, it unveiled a new five-pointed star logo. Yet the re-branding made significant alterations to the emblem. Only the official colors – orange, navy blue, white, and blue (colors of the flag of Houston) – remained unchanged on the Houston Dynamo logo.

2006 – today

Being renamed to Houston Dynamo, the club got a new logo. The current Houston Dynamo logo looks like a triangular shield with a stylized top and a triple outline. The capitalized white-scripted “Dynamo” wordmark crosses the Houston Dynamo logo in the middle. Letters “D,” “A,” and “O” are decorated with serifs. Light shadows, combined with contrasting edging, create a 3D effect. An arched orange line underlines the lettering. A half-shaded soccer ball breaks the upper line with pointed star-like pentagons.

What is Houston Dynamo?

Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer team located in Houston, Texas. It was formed in late 2005 and is part of the Western Conference, competing in MLS. The club is owned by Ted Segal, who holds the controlling stake.

The upper part of the shield contains the “Houston” wordmark in the chopped font. Only “H” and “N” have serifs, the other letters are grotesque. The bottom part of the Houston Dynamo logo features a white star inherited from Houston 1836 logo as a tribute to the state flag of Texas. It is placed inside a bright orange sun, which emits the rays in all directions.

Font and Colors

The sun depicted on the Houston Dynamo logo, in the context of the club’s history, has a dual meaning. Considering the origins of the soccer organization, the appearance of this element is quite logical. After all, the team was formerly based in sunny San Jose, which left a certain imprint on its image.

Moreover, the sun is associated with the nickname Dynamo, which is formed from the full name of the dynamo-electric machine. As we know, the celestial luminary also allows for the generation of energy, meaning that the emblem developers banked on semantic associations.

The current logo consists of a shield on which, besides a soccer ball, a five-pointed star, and a radiant sun, two inscriptions are depicted. The first, “Houston,” is located at the top and is shaped like an arch. The letters are written in a geometric sans-serif font with straight lines and right angles. Only “O,” “U,” and “S” have some rounded corners.

The word “DYNAMO” is located right in the center and crosses the shield from left to right. A personalized font was created specifically for the club’s nickname, in which there are no serifs at all symbols, except for “D” and “O.” “A” also looks unusual – its central stroke is diagonally positioned.

Both inscriptions are white; only the letters in the word “DYNAMO” have additional orange outlines. This makes the club’s name noticeable on the black background. The sun and rays are also orange, as is the wide line around the shield. Additionally, blue is used – it is included in the outer part of the trim and forms a shadow at the bottom of the soccer ball.

Houston Dynamos color codes