Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Review: San Francisco Dogfish (MLU)

Part of the series critiquing the professional Ultimate team logos and nicknames.
Team: San Francisco Dogfish

Web: http://SFDogfish.com // twitter: @SFDogfish

Representation: City // League: MLU

Disc within logo?: No. // Ultimate element in team name?: No.

Background:  As mentioned in this ABC feature, dogfish is a type of shark. The spiny dogfish shark is very abundant, and is the most common shark alive. Dogfish are not considered to be dangerous, but some damage could be done by their teeth and their slightly poisonous dorsal fin spines. Read MLU's rationale for the team's name.

Dogfish Head is also a popular craft brewer.

First impression(s): The name conjures up a new, uncomfortable yoga position, and of course, this. The shark reminds me of the flexible planes in this cartoon short "Little Johnny Jet":

Eli's Eval: Simple and cartoon-y, but not too cartoon-y. This looks like a lot of contemporary professional and college logos or contemporary updates to older logos, right down to the fact that the mascot here is angry. The city name is gently tucked underneath the team name, a choice that could easily be reversed for home/away instances. The type on the city name is a bit too small to be legible from a distance, but I won't quibble because the team name is clearly legible. The colors are muted with a bright orange accent that is used sparingly but does a great job adding contrast and directing the eye.

From top to bottom this is the best of the bunch. Everything works together, the type is professional as is the logo. Each individual part is balanced but they also work as separate elements, which is necessary for this type of branding.

:Eli's Grades:
Grade: A-
On Logo: A
On Typography: A-

Thoughts on this MLU's team name & logo?

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