Which is the best logo and brand among the teams vying for the NFL championship? The playoffs will culminate in the Super Bowl, one of the most well-known, valuable and well-protected trademarks in the US. Did you know that the shape of the ‘Vince Lombardi Trophy’ awarded to the winning team is a registered trademark?
In the NFL, the logos can be sorted into two types: old school classic looking designs, and modern sleeker designs. I generally think the classic timeless designs are the best.
Modern Logos
- New York Jets
- Baltimore Ravens
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Atlanta Falcons
Classic Logos
- Indianapolis Colts
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Since 1972. Original logo (not the most original name).
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Logo used since 1962. Iconic. Simple. Original and unique.
- New Orleans Saints
- Green Bay Packers
- Essentially the same since 1969
- Chicago Bears
- Essentially the same since 1962
Which playoff team’s logo makes the best brand and the best trademark?
Of the classic logos, the Saints logo is great and represents the city and culture of New Orleans quite well. The Steelers is excellent – the name is unique and also represents the core of the history and culture of Pittsburgh, and the logo is distinctive. The Colts name and logo are also quite unique. The C of Chicago and the G of Green Bay are good and are classics, but they do not have the character or meaning of some of the other good logos.
Of the more modern designs, I find the Patriots and Ravens logos to be hideous, although both team names are unique and provide character. The Eagles is a boring name and I’m not certain what the connection is to Philadelphia; yet the sleek and scary bird in the logo is very well done. The name goes for the Falcons – not unique and no real meaning for the city or team. Of the modern designs, the Seahawks has the nicest design. The Seahawk name, while original, is a bit odd. A Seahawk is another name for an osprey.
Overall, I like the Steelers the best! Here are the trademark registrations owned by the Steelers:
- STEELERS – registered for
– registered for
- Football helmets and a large variety of goods
- Articles of clothing and a large variety of goods; production of radio and television programs, football games, exhibitions, competitions and musical, comedy and dance performances performed before live audiences and broadcast via television, cable television, satellite television and radio broadcast
registered for “ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES-NAMELY, FOOTBALL EXHIBITIONS RENDERED LIVE IN STADIA AND THROUGH THE MEDIA OF RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTS”
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS – registered for
registered for clothing and a variety of goods
- STEELY MCBEAM – [the mascot’s name] registered for “Posters, pictorial prints; Clothing, namely, t-shirts, and shirts; toys and sporting goods, namely, plush toys; Entertainment services, namely, performances and appearances by a costumed mascot for a professional football team; entertainment services in the nature of performances or appearances by a costumed mascot for a professional team either live, broadcast, or distributed over television, cable, satellite or the World Wide Web“
- description of the mark: The mark consists of a football jersey with a black body. Each sleeve features one thick yellow stripe bordered on each side by a narrow yellow stripe. The stripes wrap around the sleeve ending at the point where the sleeve meets the body on each side. The numbers, the oval shape, and the triangle shape depicted in dotted lines are not claimed as a part of the mark, but rather are intended to show placement of numbers and patches that appear on the goods. The remaining white lines are merely intended to delineate the seams in the jersey and are not claimed as a feature of the mark
- registered for “Jerseys; Education and entertainment services in the nature of organizing and presenting professional football games and exhibitions; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; organization of sports events; fan club services; educational services, namely, physical education programs and seminars in the field of football; football games, exhibitions, competitions and musical, comedy and dance performances performed before live audiences and broadcast via television, cable television, satellite television and radio broadcast“
- description of the mark: The mark consists of a configuration of a professional football jersey consisting of the color combination of black, yellow and white and a design pattern comprising a series of stripes. The stripe design comprises a central wide yellow stripe, a thinner white stripe outlined by black lines adjoining each side of the wide yellow stripe, all bounded by a yellow stripe also outlined in black lines so as form a single band in appearance. The band appears on each sleeve of the jersey and wraps diagonally around each sleeve to join the body of the jersey, which is white. The broken lines in the drawing depict elements not being claimed as features of the mark but serve to identify the mark as a professional football jersey and to show placement.
- registered for “Jerseys; Education and entertainment services in the nature of organizing and presenting professional football games and exhibitions; providing sports and entertainment information via a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; organization of sports events; fan club services; educational services, namely, physical education programs and seminars in the field of football; football games, exhibitions, competitions and musical, comedy and dance performances performed before live audiences and broadcast via television, cable television, satellite television and radio broadcast“
- description of the mark: THE DRAWING IS A TWO-DIMENSIONAL REPRESENTATION OF THE MARK WHICH CONSISTS OF THE DESIGN ELEMENTS AND COLOR COMBINATIONSAPPEARING ON A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FOOTBALL UNIFORM WORN BY PLAYERS IN APPLICANT’SGAMES AND EXHIBITIONS.
- registered for “Entertainment Services in the Form of Professional Football Games and Exhibitions“
