Miami Dolphins Logo PNG
The American football club from Miami, the multi-time Super Bowl winner, has a bright and informative emblem. The identity reflects the talisman, the essence of the name, victoriousness, and the desire for new heights, making the Miami Dolphins logo informative and memorable.
Miami Dolphins: Brand overview
| Founded: | August 16, 1965 |
| Founder: | Stephen M. Ross |
| Headquarters: |
Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Website: | miamidolphins.com |
Miami Dolphins is a professional football team. In the 70s, it has joined the AFC Eastern Division. Miami Dolphins is also an NFL member and is the oldest regional club of the Southern wing. It is located in Miami, Florida State. The team was created in 1965.
The official history of Miami Dolphins had begun when it received an AFL franchise for an extension at the cost of approx. 8.1 mln USD. Actor Danny Thomas and lawyer Joseph Robbie received it. Firstly, they planned to leave it in Philadelphia, but Joe Floss, the league manager, recommended to move to Miami. It had a larger population but had no team. However, Thomas did not agree and sold the share to his partner. Thus, from 1966 till 1990, Robbie was the sole club manager.
The situation had changed in the 90s when Wayne Huizenga purchased part of the shares. The latter was managing the team from 1993 till 2008. In February, Stephen M. Ross has purchased 50% of the franchise and adjacent areas. The deal cost him 550 mln USD and allowed him to become a general partner. On January 20, 2009, he purchased 45% shares more. The total price was about one bln USD. Since that time, Ross has owned 95% and is the full manager of Miami Dolphins.
In the year of founding upon the contest results, the team got its name at once. Nineteen thousand eight hundred forty-three participants have proposed more than 1000 names. Six hundred sixty-two people sent the winning name. Joseph Robbie approved it because the dolphin symbolizes the club location and the smartest and swiftest sea creature. He also explained that the dolphins were very courageous and could even force a deadly attack on a shark.
Meaning and History
The Miami Dolphins team logos reflect their name, which was endorsed by Joseph Robbie. The franchise owner believed that it was associated with its location, symbolizing courage, speed, and intelligence. In this regard, the dolphin is the central image of all emblems. It is presented in several versions and depicted against the background of a stylized sun.
For the first 46 years since its debut, the logo contained the letter “M,” found on the football helmet. A global redesign in 2013 changed everything. The colors were also not constant: sticking to the same palette, the artists experimented with different shades.
What is Miami Dolphins?
The Miami Dolphins is the only AFC East franchise never to be part of the AFL. Florida’s oldest professional team, formed in 1965 and played its first match in 1966. It has won two Super Bowls and 13 division championships from its inception through 2008.
1966 – 1973
The initial Miami Dolphins logo consisted of a muted orange circle and a dolphin that stands on its tail. The latter wore a sports helmet with the letter “M,” which symbolized the team’s short name. The dolphin’s body was painted in white orange particles as if it has jumped out of the water and gleams with its wet sides. The sun was painted in interleaving thin and wide tapered rays.
1974 – 1989
In 1974 the dolphin silhouette on the Miami Dolphins logo was moved upwards and right. It overlapped the sun contour, and its head was behind the circle. The logo was capped with a large football helmet painted in white and blue with a letter “M” in the middle. The orange hue also was changed and became more powdery. The coralline particles were removed from the dolphin’s body, and white ones were left only. The sunrays were left as before.
1989 – 1996
At that time, the Miami Dolphins logo’s color scheme was renewed, and it became more saturated. The helmet lines were widened. The dolphin body became longer and narrower, and the flukes, vice versa, became longer and more powerful. It allowed balancing that image visually. White specks on the dolphin’s side; the form and size of sunrays were left as before.
1997 – 2012
In 1997 the club received a completely new logo. The dolphin became more balanced and extended. The specks were removed, and light strokes on flukes and around the eyes were left only. A horizontal wide white line was added on the belly. The art style has also been changed: the designers replaced schematic contours with accurate and sure brush strokes, so the animal’s silhouette became more true-to-life.
The helmet became more nuanced and realistic. An eyelet was added, and the lines became thinner. The small sunrays were removed, and the wide sharp protrusions which evenly altered along the circle were left only. The colors on the Miami Dolphins logo became more saturated. Besides this, the blue color scheme was extended as a shade off to aquamarine was added.
2013 – 2017
In 2013 the design of the Miami Dolphins logo was updated. The dolphin changed its position: it did not jump out of the water but swam the wave. It was reversed and painted with a slight incline: the tail was horizontal, and its head was pointed upwards. The dolphin’s harsh expression became welcoming and neutral. The flukes became streamlined and smooth.
The shape of the animal became less bulky and more delicate. White, blue, and aquamarine lines were drawn on the sides. They were also drawn on the flukes and near the eye. The dolphin covered the sun in the middle. The same-type triangle rays were replaced with three kinds; each of them had different lengths. The hues were muted, so the sun circle became yellow.
2018 – today
The current version of the logo builds on the previous one. The designers made the sun circle a dark orange and removed part of the tail fin to make it appear curved. The dolphin does not have the helmet it used to have. The designers found the logo quite recognizable without the letter “M,” indicating the name of the city of Miami. The rest of the elements were the same as before, preserving the initial shape, location, and size.
The current dolphin is more elegant than the versions of previous years. Moreover, the body’s elongated shape gives it dynamism, which was lacking in the other emblems. He looks strong, fast, and agile; that is, he embodies a football team’s basic qualities. It symbolized speed, quick response, achievement drive, intelligence, and ability to overcome any difficulties.
Font and Colors
The background is a white solar disk surrounded by an orange ring with sharp triangles-rays of different sizes. It serves as the main figure’s background – a light blue dolphin, which is located exactly in the center. In terms of composition, the logo looks the same as it did 50 years ago. Only the design details have changed. If the dolphin “stood” on its tail in the first versions, now it swiftly swims up. The lines are clearer and more elongated.
The emblem contains only the graphic part without any inscriptions, so the artists paid special attention to the color scheme. Keeping to the original palette, they changed shades several times. The current version uses coral red for the rays, blue for the dolphin, white for the sun disk, and decoration details.
Miami Dolphins color codes
| Aqua | Hex color: | #008e97 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 142 151 | |
| CMYK: | 100 21 42 2 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 321 C |
| Orange | Hex color: | #f26a24 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 245 130 32 | |
| CMYK: | 0 60 100 0 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 165 C |
| Blue | Hex color: | #005778 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 87 120 | |
| CMYK: | 100 61 35 15 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 7701 C |
Did Miami Dolphins go back to the old logo?
No, the Miami Dolphins did not go back to their original helmet-wearing dolphin logo, which was adorned with an orange M. They still use the non-helmet version.
What kind of dolphin is the Miami dolphin logo?
The Miami Football Club logo features a turquoise dolphin. It is, rather, a collective image and not a representative of any specific biological species.
Is the Miami Dolphins mascot a real dolphin?
The Miami Dolphins mascot is an anthropomorphic character named T.D. – a man disguised as a dolphin. The live dolphin was with the team for two years: from 1966 to 1968. He showed tricks after each successful hit of the ball into the opponent’s goal. The football club had to spend money on its maintenance; in addition, the animal was stressed, so it was released from the status of a mascot.
Why is the Miami Dolphins delayed?
During one of the matches in 2020, the Miami Dolphins and their rivals Buffalo Bills were forced to delay due to difficult weather conditions. The thunderstorm forced the players of both teams to spend an additional 30 minutes in the locker room.
