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    San Francisco 49ers Logo


    The Exciting Rise and Evolution of the SF 49ers

    The San Francisco 49ers are the first major-four sports team based out of the San Francisco area and
    the
    first major sports franchise to emerge from the US West Coast. The colors of the eponymous 49ers
    logo are an
    homage to the gold rush of 1849. The light gold band around the edge of the emblem signifies the
    precious
    metal. The dark red background is a nod to the typical red plaid worn by the majority of the miners
    and
    prospectors of that era.

    Over the years, the San Francisco 49ers sports team logo has won five league championships, all from the Super Bowl
    era. The
    1980s were their top era as a team, resulting in them winning four Super Bowl titles in that decade
    and
    failing to make the playoffs only twice in that time.

    1. The Story of the Franchise and the 49ers logo history

    Created by a lumber transport businessman named Anthony J. Morabito, the team has been part of the
    NFL since
    1946. A member of the NFC West division, the team, is one of the ten oldest teams in the NFL and has
    seen
    widespread success over the years, with many records to its name.

    The team’s name and their first NFL
    logo
    were a nod to the many gold prospectors who came to the San
    Francisco Bay in 1849 to benefit from the Gold Rush. An infamous time in the history of California,
    the Gold
    Rush led to the economic and infrastructural growth of the area, including the San Francisco area.

    Over the years, the franchise has been quite successful in representing the city of San Francisco in
    one of
    the big four sports teams. It has become one of the most successful teams in the NFL. Originally
    registered
    as the San Francisco Forty-Niners, the team has become known as the 49ers
    by the
    fans.

    2. San Francisco 49ers Logos Through the Years

    history of 49ers logo

    Throughout its nearly seven and a half decades of playing football, the 49ers logo has seen just a
    couple of
    significant changes and a few minor ones as well. The first custom logo
    design
    used by the franchise was an elaborate image representing the gold rush. Still, over
    the
    years, the logo was simplified for better visibility and made it more memorable.

    The logos for the team can be broken down into three broad categories.

    • The primary logos are the ones used by the team as their central representation. They are the
      images
      that are used by the fans to identify the franchise.
    • Text-based logos are wordmark designs that are used alongside the primary logos, as well as
      independently. It provides the team’s name in stylized design, making it easier to identify its
      name.
    • And finally, the commemorative logos are used to celebrate milestones or achievements for the
      franchise,
      similar to the NFL 100 logo used by the league to celebrate their centennial anniversary in the
      sport.

    3. Primary San Francisco 49ers Logos

    The team uses these logos as their primary identifier, either alone or alongside the wordmark
    logos
    . Throughout the nearly seventy-five
    years of
    playing in the league, the San Francisco 49ers have had their logo modified a few times,
    with only a
    couple
    of significant changes.

    Let us have a look at the evolution of the primary 49ers logo.

    49ers logo
    Source: 1000 logos

    3.1- 1946-1967 (The Image That Inspired the 49ers Logo and Name)

    The first logo was proposed by Allen Sorrel, who co-owned the franchise with Tony Morabito.
    Allen saw
    the
    image of a plaid-clad gold prospector, drunkenly waving about and firing a pair of pistols,
    on the
    side of a
    railway freight car. Looking at it, Allen thought that the image was a perfect
    representation of the
    team
    name and decided to adopt that imagery for the team logo.

    San Francisco 49ers primary logo 1946 to 1967
    Source: 1000 logos

    This San Francisco 49ers logo featured a mustached gold-digger, waving a pair of revolvers around
    drunkenly
    with one pistol above the head and the other pointing down and firing towards his foot. The
    prospector was
    clad in a red shirt and plaid trousers, with his wide-brimmed hat flying off behind him due to his
    vigorous
    actions.

    This logo represented the lack of law in the area during the gold rush, and the owners felt that it
    was a
    good image to accompany the team name.

    3.2- 1968-1995 (The Simplified 49ers Logo)

    In 1968, the team released a new logo that featured an oval-shaped background signifying a
    football.
    The
    image was colored red and enclosed by a black bar all around the shape.

    The red oval featured the initials of the team’s city, the letters S and
    F.
    The letter S overlapped the letter F in the left top
    corner,
    breaking the
    letter into three fragments. The letters were solid white, with bold and long serifs at the
    ends of
    the
    logo’s characters.

    San Francisco 49ers primary logo 1968 to 1995
    Source: logos world

    The 1985 redesign saw a minor change being made to the logo.

    The logo’s initials were now outlined in black, which made it easier to differentiate the designs
    from the
    background. It also made the fragments of the letter F more distinct, which made
    the design
    a little better to identify visually.

    3.3- 1996-2008 (The One Leading to the Current 49ers Logo)

    In 1996, the logo was redesigned again, and the new design was visually more assertive than
    the
    previous
    iterations.

    The oval shape of the logo was stretched and elongated, making it more similar to the
    football shape
    it was
    meant to resemble.

    The following change was the joining of the letter F’s fragments into a single piece. The
    shadowed
    outline
    added to both characters made it look as if the S was overlaid over the
    letter
    F.

    San Francisco 49ers primary logo 1996 to 2008
    Source: NFL Teams

    The base color was now a darker red. The outer black border was made thicker at the left and right
    edges. A
    metallic gold bar was added to the inside edge of the logo signifying their ties to the California
    gold rush
    of the mid-19th century.

    3.4- 2009-Present Day (The Metamorphosis of the 49ers New Logo)

    The current version of the 49ers logo is the same as the previous iteration; the only
    difference is
    the
    change in the design’s colors.

    In 2009, the owners changed the shades of the colors used in the logo, which included:

    • The dark red background was made a deep scarlet color, making it easier for the other
      design
      elements on
      the logo to pop instead of blending into the back.
    San Francisco 49ers primary logo 2009 to present
    Source: Essentially Sports
    • The white letters making up the team’s home city’s initials were changed from a dull white to a
      brighter
      shade, making the letters stand out better even at a distance.
    • Similarly, the black and gold colors used were more saturated, making them more distinct and
      helped make
      them stand out better when outlining the logo design.

    4- Text-Based San Francisco 49ers Logos

    Text-based logos or wordmark logos are a necessary part of every NFL team’s branding. Image-based
    logos are a
    great way to help fans identify a franchise. However, wordmark logos are a great tool when the
    purpose is to
    help new people recognize or identify the team imagery with the name.

    Wordmark logos can be used alone or used alongside the team logo, based on the scenario. Many NFL
    teams use
    wordmark logos to get their imagery out to new prospective fans. Let’s have a look at the text-based
    49ers
    logos that have been used over the years.

    4.1- 1972-2004 (The Iconic 49ers Symbol)

    San Francisco 49ers wordmark logos 1972 to 2004 red and gold variants
    Source: Sports Logo History

    The first wordmark logo was released in 1972 and featured the deep red characters spelling out the
    team’s
    nickname. The characters were outlined in red, with a white bar separating the main body of the
    characters’
    outline.

    An alternate version was also created that featured a metallic gold color instead of the deep red. It
    signified the California gold rush and allowed an option to print on darker mediums without losing
    impact.

    The font was a custom design and featured intricate serifs, which made the design quite elaborate.
    The result
    was a highly stylized wordmark logo that represented the old-world aesthetic of the team’s name.

    4.2- 2005-2008 (The Aesthetic of the 2000s)

    San Francisco 49ers wordmark logos 2005 to 2008 main and alternate
    Source: Sports Logo History

    The 2005 redesign of the wordmark logo was done to upgrade the design per modern graphic design trends to make it more relevant to that era’s fans.

    The new wordmark logo now featured the team nickname in bright white with thin gold and black outline
    over a
    rectangular maroon background. The script for the logo was quite simple – a bold serif font used to
    write
    the team’s name, with the rest of the name after the letters 49 written in a
    slightly
    smaller size. Except for the 49, the rest of the logo featured a metallic gold bar
    as an
    underline.

    Another iteration was also created, similar in design to the one described above, with minor changes.
    This
    version featured the white characters now colored a deep red over a white background.

    This wordmark logo was quite different from the previous wordmark iterations, which made it better
    suited to
    the design appeal of the mid-2000s.

    4.3- 2009-Present Day (The 2009 San Francisco 49ers New Logo)

    San Francisco 49ers wordmark logos 2009 to present all three variants
    Source: Sports Logo History

    The 2009 redesign kept the design mostly the same, with minor changes to the shades of the colors
    used.

    The previous two designs were still used, the only change being the shade of red now changed to a
    bright
    crimson. Additionally, the lines of the logo were made cleaner and more precise, adding to its
    overall
    visual appeal

    A third version was added to the lineup. This version featured the same design, albeit it removed all
    shades
    of red from the logo. The only color now was the black and gold outline of the characters and the
    gold bar
    underneath the characters.

    5- Commemorative San Francisco 49ers Logos

    Commemorative logos are a great way to celebrate significant achievements or milestones. They have
    been used
    in sports for quite some time. Even the National Football League created a new commemorative logo
    for its
    100th anniversary, which was part of all player uniforms and the game balls during the
    2019
    season.

    Many franchises hire an external logo design service to help them create commemorative logos that
    effectively
    portray the essence of the achieved milestone.

    5.1- 40 Years as a Team – 1986

    The 40th anniversary of the San Francisco 49ers was celebrated in the year 1986, which
    featured a new
    team
    logo for that year, commemorating this achievement.

    The new logo featured a monogram-style design. A bright red 40 encircled by
    a golden
    banner
    featuring the team’s registered name. Below it was a stylized bar that had the team’s
    timeline, from
    the
    year of its inception to the year of the anniversary.

    San Francisco Forty Niners 40 year anniversary logo

    The logo also featured the iconic Golden Gate Bridge going through the zero from the 40.

    This design was a great way to commemorate four decades in the league and signify their roots in the
    San
    Francisco area.

    5.2- 50 Years as a Team – 1996

    The golden jubilee for the team occurred in 1996, for which a new commemorative logo was
    designed.
    The new
    49ers logo featured a shield with four quadrants in alternating metallic gold and red
    colors.

    The top two quadrants featured five golden diamonds signifying the five Super Bowl titles.
    The
    anniversary
    year was written in the classic golden jubilee style.

    San Francisco Forty Niners 50 year anniversary logo

    The bottom two quadrants feature the team’s initials in the bottom left and the team’s timeline in
    the bottom
    right.

    All in all, it is a fitting yet classic way to commemorate half a century in the sport.

    5.3- 60 Seasons Playing Football – 2006

    The 2006 commemorative 49ers logo was used to celebrate six decades in the NFL. It featured a
    different
    design from the previous iterations.

    The new logo featured an upright red oval shape signifying a football, outlined by a black
    bar that
    traced
    the red oval and widened at the sides. . The top point of the logo featured the five
    diamonds
    signifying

    San Francisco Forty Niners 60 year anniversary logo

    the NFL championship rings, below which was a bold white 60 with a black outline. A black fluttering
    banner
    below the 60 featured the year the team was formed and the anniversary year.

    It is their most visually bold commemorative logo to date.

    5.4- 70 Years Playing Football – 2016

    The 70th-anniversary commemorative logo was quite similar in design to the golden
    jubilee
    logo,
    featuring a shield with four quadrants outlined in gold and alternating quadrants colored
    red and
    white.

    The top left quadrant was white and featured five golden diamonds signifying the Super Bowl
    wins. The
    top
    right red quadrant had the last two numbers of initiation and the year of the anniversary
    written in
    it.

    San Francisco Forty Niners 70 year anniversary logo

    The larger quadrants below featured the number of years the team has been active in the league, with
    the word
    YEARS written in white on a thin gold bar below the number of the commemorative anniversary.

    Unlike the 50th anniversary logo, which used brighter and deeper colors, the colors used
    in this
    version were lighter and more subdued.

    6- A Comparison Between the Old and the New 49ers Logo Design

    San Francisco 49ers new and old logos comparison
    Source: NFL Teams

    The San Francisco Forty-Niners’ current logo has become an iconic image since it has been used for
    more than
    fifty years. The shape of the logo is iconic, featuring an elongated oval that is excellent at
    signifying
    the relationship between the logo and football game.

    The team’s area’s initials are centered in the logo’s middle, making them highly visible. And the
    gold and
    black lines encircling the logo are a great accent to the overall design.

    The font for the logo was custom-designed, with each letter drawn carefully by hand. Based on the
    vintage
    typographic style, the characters featured blocky serifs and a bold character weight, making the
    font
    visible easily, even at a distance.

    This logo is iconic and is a design that generations of 49ers fans identify with the team. But it
    does not do
    the name of the San Francisco Forty-Niners justice. The current logo does not relate to the image
    the
    franchise founders had for the team, which was to pay homage to the gold rush prospectors from 1849.

    In that respect, the vintage 49ers logo from 1946 captured the essence and concept behind the team’s
    name.
    The drunk gold digger jumped around and fired their pistols, randomly capturing the theme of the
    gold rush
    era perfectly.

    So while the new logo does work well with the team’s current vibe, the first logo was the one that
    captured
    the true essence behind the team’s name. Nevertheless, the logo is iconic and has been able to rally
    a large
    fan following known as the “Niner Nation.”

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The original logo for the team was made up of a mustached man meant to depict a gold
    miner from the
    1849
    California Gold Rush. The man was dressed in a red shirt and plaid pants, long
    western boots,
    jumping in the
    air while shooting his pistols with his hat falling off.

    The word 49er or Forty-niner signifies a gold miner who came to California searching
    for gold during
    the 1849
    Gold Rush.

    The football players from the San Francisco 49ers wore a decal of the number 74 on
    their helmets to
    honor
    their former 49er player and Hall of Famer Fred Dean. He died due to complications
    arising from his
    COVID-19
    infection. During his time at the 49ers, Dean wore a jersey featuring the number 74.

    The San Francisco 49ers wear kits featuring two primary colors – scarlet and gold.


    In The End

    The story behind the evolution of the San Francisco 49ers logo image is quite vast.

    Over the years, the team has shown itself to be one of the best teams in the NFL. It is the third
    most
    valuable NFL team and the twelfth most valuable athletics team in the world. Their dedication to
    excellence
    drives them to greatness, signifying the never-ending hardiness of the people who popularized the
    San
    Francisco area during the gold rush.

    With such a historically significant name as the Forty-Niners, the San Francisco football team has
    proved
    themselves capable of rising to the challenge and proving themselves worthy of that legacy. Other
    NFL team
    logos are also worth exploring such as Chicago Bears Logo and LA Rams
    Logo
    .

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