Discover the Evolution of the Great Denver Broncos Logo into an Icon Today
Discover the Evolution of the Great Denver Broncos Logo into an Icon Today
Various athletic teams and franchises across the globe have managed to come up with truly beautiful and perfect symbols, with the NFL’s Denver Broncos logo being one of them. These kinds of sports icons are needed to represent the values and the spirit of the team in question, too.
But what is it about these sports logos that makes them so popular among their fans? What makes these symbols stand apart in a sea of similar-themed logos?
Franchises often hire expert logo design services to create great designs that truly personify their team spirit and energy. Let’s find out how the Denver Broncos came up with such an iconic logo design that makes them one of the best known teams in the National Football League.
1. The History of the Franchise and How the Denver Broncos Logo Came to Be
The Denver Broncos are a pro-football team in the NFL, belonging to the AFC West division of the League. They initially started out as a franchise in the American Football League, a precursor to the NFL in 1960.
Ten years later, the team joined the NFL as part of the merger. The name of the team was chosen after a fan contest, which saw over a hundred and sixty names presented for approval. Among them, the winner was the moniker, Broncos.
Now a bronco might have seemed an odd choice for the team, but the horse, which is a wild mustang native to the American Prairies, symbolizes the free spirit and the wild nature of the team itself and as the Colorado area is known for its wild-west roots, it’s a suitable name for the native football team and just line the Miami Dolphins logo, the Denver Broncos too chose the perfect mascot to represent their team.
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1.1- Denver Broncos Logo Font
When creating any kind of sports logos, the font is an important aspect of that process. The right font can help your brand symbol stand out, like the iconic typography of the 49ers logo. The typeface used for the Denver Broncos logo is a custom design, named the Denver Broncos Custom. It is an understated serif font, with clean lines and moderate strokes.
1.2- Denver Broncos Logo Colors
The color palette of the Denver Broncos symbol is white, navy, and orange. This color scheme has been in use for a number of decades, and has become one of the better known NFL liveries. However, its counterpart in the NHL logos, representing the Colorado Avalanche, prefers a darker, more subdued color palette.
2. The Evolution of the Denver Broncos Logo
The logo for the Denver Broncos has been changed a number of times throughout their time playing as a professional football team. Some of the designs have been elaborate, while others have been simpler. The current logo is sleek, simple, yet perfectly fitting for a team named after a free, wilderness horse.
Let’s take a look at how the logo has evolved over the years.
2.1 Original Denver Broncos Logo 1960
The original Denver Broncos logo was released in 1960, and featured a football player decked out in his playing gear, and riding a bucking horse. The rider wore a yellow and brown suit, with a large and blocky B emblazoned on the chest.
The design was funny to look at, yet it was a fitting reminder of the area’s natives and their long history with their mascot.
2.2 First Redesign of Denver Logo 1962
In 1962, the logo was redesigned again. This was done to reduce the nonchalant vibe of the previous symbol, and add a level of ferocity and strength to their logo. the new logo featured a bulky football player with a football in hand standing atop a bucking horse.
The color scheme was changed to a blue and orange palette, and the horse was given a wide manic grin to go with the wild design.
2.3 Second Redesign Denver Logo 1970
This was the first major redesign in terms of logo concept. Gone was the rider from the image, as well as the grinning horse. The new logo featured a rearing horse snorting loudly, encased within an uppercase D, which stood for the city of Denver.
The color scheme was the same for this logo, the letter in orange with the blue accenting the white horse.
2.4 Minor Redesign Denver Logo 1993
This minor redesign saw the logo’s color palette redesigned slightly. The shades of orange and blue were lightened a few degrees, and the overall design of the horse in the logo was simplified by removing all unnecessary accents and tweaks in the design.
2.5 Present Denver Logo Design 1997
The present day Denver Broncos logo was created in 1997. It featured the head of a sprinting bronco, with its mane flapping in the wind. The lines were sharp, and the eyes of the horse were made red for a more vicious look.
The shades of orange and blue were darkened again, but the horse was still colored white while using the other colors as accents to enhance the look. The overall design was modern, strong, and most importantly, timeless and while the color scheme was similar to the Chicago Bears logo, the shades used, as well as the choice of primary and secondary shade makes it look quite distinctive.
3. Denver Broncos Wordmark Logos
Wordmarks are necessary for a team, as the primary logo is not always the best medium to get your name across to new viewers. Like many other sports symbols like the NBA logos, wordmarks are often necessary when it comes to athletics, as it makes it easier to identify the teams and players during a game. Let’s take a look at the wordmark Denver Broncos logo’s evolution.
3.1- Original Denver Broncos Wordmark Logo 1968
The original wordmark for the Broncos featured a blocky, serif font that displayed the team’s name. the font was colored blue, with the design using a few different stroke sizes for add a sense of depth to the design.
3.2- Current Redesign of Denver Wordmark Logo 1997
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4- Denver Broncos Commemorative Symbols
Many teams celebrate special milestones in their careers, whether it is for a championship win, or to celebrate a number of years in the sport. Let’s take a look at some of these Denver Broncos commemorative logos.
4.1- Silver Jubilee Logo 1984
The 25th anniversary for the Denver Broncos playing pro football occurred in 1984. The logo featured a blue football helmet, with the current and starting years of the team written on a red banner below the helmet itself. The entire image was circled by a gray ring to round off the design.
4.2- Golden Jubilee Logo 2009
The team’s golden jubilee arrived in 2009, and the celebratory logo was in the shape of a football. The ball was colored a dark navy, and it was accented in orange to promote the five decades’ worth of legacy playing the great sport.
5- Old Denver Broncos Logo Versus the New Team Logo – Which design Represents the Team Better?
The old Denver Broncos logo featured a cartoon-like depiction of the team’s logo. While it may have been suitable for the team at that time, design aesthetics have changed. From choosing the right logo fonts, to making sure that the tone of the imagery suits your brand voice is a necessity for good logo design.
As such, it would have failed if used today. However, the current Denver Broncos icon is perfect for the modern design trends. It is sleek, simple, and uses negative space to its advantage. That is why we can say that the new Broncos NFL logos are better than the old Denver Broncos logo.
Frequently Asked Questions
The logo features a right facing profile of a running horse’s head, a call to their name the Broncos.
They used their name as inspiration for their logo, as their mascot was the native American horse which runs free in the US plains.
They have changed their logo many times, most recently in 1997 which is still in use today.
The first logo was designed by a man named Edwin Taylor, who created the iconic D for the logo.
Conclusion
Now that you know how the Denver Broncos logo evolved into its current iconic form, the next step is to learn how to design a logo that has the potential to be equally iconic.
If you want help creating a logo for your athletics team, we can help you. Logo Poppin’s expert logo designers create truly unique designs that perfectly embody the team’s spirit and message.
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Logopoppin
Logopoppin is a graphic design agency that specializes in logo designing, web development, video production and advanced branding services. We love to innovate businesses with new age technologies, allowing them to improve their visual reputation.
