'Tacky' insignias/emblems/badges in RL?

[HappyDave]

When I used to be a footy fan (association football) I always thought the majority of the team 'emblems' looked pretty classy (well, the odd exceptions of the likes of Fulham, Newcastle United & Wolves), as they were pretty 'old skool', well designed and simplistic. I'm a Sunderland AFC fan, although I don't really follow them these days as I'm far more into RL, but I didn't like our 'new' badge when it was first released (in '98? when we moved) but I really like it now.

Whereas I've been thinking recently; there seems to be an awful lot of tacky, OTT, 'Americanised' (likes NHL? MLB? NBA? NFL? - style) team logos in RL. I like Town/City 'Coat of Arms' and I'd say the likes of Halifax's would look really good if it wasn't for the great big NHL-style OTT 'HALIFAX' underneath.

I'd say the worst of the worst was Penrith Panthers [the NRL fanboys will hate me for sayin that]. Although take a look at the Featherstone Rovers, Sydney Roosters, Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Wests Tigers, Newcastle City Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Bramley Bulldogs & Rochdale Hornets for examples, in my opinion I'd say they're OTT/tacky and should really be better designed.

I'm not saying that RU doesn't have bad team badges though. Take The Sharks; Chiefs; Ospreys; Crusaders; Exeter Chiefs; Northampton Saints; Highlanders; Aironi Rugby; Leeds Carnegie & Benetton Rugby as examples. I just think apart from The Sharks (possibly the worst Rugby (both codes) badge ever?) I'd say I don't think their team badges are as OTT and 'tacky' looking as RL, but that's just my personal opinion.

I was going to say that it may be due to NFL but in all honesty I don't think their team badges are too bad. I'd say the Cinncinati Bengals & the College [American] Football (NCAAA) team Missouri Tigers both their badges are a lot more understated than the likes of Wests Tigers & Cas Tigers which I think makes them look a lot better.

What do you think?

Note to Mods: This ISN'T cross-code thread. It's really to talk about RL badges but surely we can compare to other footy codes as a referencing point?

Edited September 19, 2010 by HappyDave

[3owls]

When I used to be a footy fan (association football) I always thought the majority of the team 'emblems' looked pretty classy (well, the odd exceptions of the likes of Fulham, Newcastle United & Wolves), as they were pretty 'old skool', well designed and simplistic. I'm a Sunderland AFC fan, although I don't really follow them these days as I'm far more into RL, but I didn't like our 'new' badge when it was first released (in '98? when we moved) but I really like it now.

Whereas I've been thinking recently; there seems to be an awful lot of tacky, OTT, 'Americanised' (likes NHL? MLB? NBA? NFL? - style) team logos in RL. I like Town/City 'Coat of Arms' and I'd say the likes of Halifax's would look really good if it wasn't for the great big NHL-style OTT 'HALIFAX' underneath.

I'd say the worst of the worst was Penrith Panthers [the NRL fanboys will hate me for sayin that]. Although take a look at the Featherstone Rovers, Sydney Roosters, Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Wests Tigers, Newcastle City Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Bramley Bulldogs & Rochdale Hornets for examples, in my opinion I'd say they're OTT/tacky and should really be better designed.

I'm not saying that RU doesn't have bad team badges though. Take The Sharks; Chiefs; Ospreys; Crusaders; Exeter Chiefs; Northampton Saints; Highlanders; Aironi Rugby; Leeds Carnegie & Benetton Rugby as examples. I just think apart from The Sharks (possibly the worst Rugby (both codes) badge ever?) I'd say I don't think their team badges are as OTT and 'tacky' looking as RL, but that's just my personal opinion.

I was going to say that it may be due to NFL but in all honesty I don't think their team badges are too bad. I'd say the Cinncinati Bengals & the College [American] Football (NCAAA) team Missouri Tigers both their badges are a lot more understated than the likes of Wests Tigers & Cas Tigers which I think makes them look a lot better.

What do you think?

Note to Mods: This ISN'T cross-code thread. It's really to talk about RL badges but surely we can compare to other footy codes as a referencing point?

I hate to say it but i find the Leeds Rhinos badge just about as tacky as they come. For me the old club/city crest with the 3 owls etc is an emblem befitting our champion team. Having said that, the advent of superleague, the rhinos and the bulls etc has seen our club prosper and enjoy the most succesful period in its history. A small price to pay for having to wear a rhino on your shirt i suppose. I've always found the st helens badge to be a standout due to its simplicity, but that's going for a burton next year .

[giwildgo]

I hate to say it but i find the Leeds Rhinos badge just about as tacky as they come. For me the old club/city crest with the 3 owls etc is an emblem befitting our champion team. Having said that, the advent of superleague, the rhinos and the bulls etc has seen our club prosper and enjoy the most succesful period in its history. A small price to pay for having to wear a rhino on your shirt i suppose. I've always found the st helens badge to be a standout due to its simplicity, but that's going for a burton next year .

I agree

[Wellsy4HullFC]

The Cas one has been around for years hasn't it? I don't see what's wrong with it. It's traditional.

I think Leeds' is a bit tacky in all honesty. Catalans original one was also tacky, but their new one is very classy. I also like the Crusaders one from last season. This season's was awful (changed by the old committee just before they went to Wrexham). I hope the new committee change it to something better next year.

[Trojan]

I don't like the Fev one. For starters Bluebeard wasn't a pirate - it was Blackbeard, Bluebeard was a serial wife killer. Is the Saints one still the Simon Templar stick man - I've always thought that looks particularly tacky. The best of the old style ones for me was Wakey's fleur de lys.

I've got a Fev baseball cap and a woolly hat, both with the Fev coat of arms with a miners lamp on it.

[Millman]

I've got a Fev baseball cap and a woolly hat, both with the Fev coat of arms with a miners lamp on it.

Do the lamps not weigh your head down a bit?

Edited September 19, 2010 by Millman

[Millman]

<>

Edited September 19, 2010 by Millman

[Maximus Decimus]

Some of the badges are incredibly tacky and unprofessional looking. Leeds and Bradford don't befit amateur sides, never mind SL sides.

[Mumby Magic]

Jeez it's like going back to the thirties with you lot! Some of the most iconic sporting symbols of some of the world's biggest sporting clubs would be deemed tacky by some of you. Tacky -whatever that may mean in badge terms- some may be but they are easily recognisable to the many people. A town badge etc isn't. I'm not saying don't have them on a shirt but if that is the main badge you can see why some clubs struggle and can't get the jist of basic marketing.

[Bulletproof]

Sometimes you've got to move with the times, I suppose marketing is easier to the younger generation this way. I quite like some of the new names and crests. I'm more than happy with Widnes'. I hated the old badge but the new one is simple and effective.

As with everything, you just have to get it right. Bradford Bulls crest looks tacky, for a big club its kind of embarrassing. Featherstone's new crest is very good. Halifax failed as the blue sox, (couldn't even spell socks right on the badge) and yet some teams are really behind their new image. And the good thing is, a redesign is not seen as something sacreligious so you can keep your image fresh this way.

[hindle xiii]

Personally, I think the town or cities coat of arms should be on the rugby shirt, ahead of any club badge.

[Bulletproof]

Personally, I think the town or cities coat of arms should be on the rugby shirt, ahead of any club badge.

I would too if I supported Bradford Bulls.

[hindle xiii]

I would too if I supported Bradford Bulls.

Easily identifiable though. Coats of arms, while add some clarss, aren't immediately obvious. And allows marketing opportunities, it worked previously in Super League.

And actually, if you didn't know the Widnes logo, it'd be hard to guess.

[HappyDave]

I agree

I'd say St Helens & Wigan were the best designed badges in the SL.

I don't like the Fev one. For starters Bluebeard wasn't a pirate - it was Blackbeard, Bluebeard was a serial wife killer. Is the Saints one still the Simon Templar stick man - I've always thought that looks particularly tacky. The best of the old style ones for me was Wakey's fleur de lys.

I've got a Fev baseball cap and a woolly hat, both with the Fev coat of arms with a miners lamp on it.

The 'old' Fev badge was before I got into RL so I don't know what it looks like but the current one is horrific. Talking about Co-op Championship clubs I'd say I prefer the 'old' Viking badge to their new one. I can't even tell what the current one is meant to be. The basic structure of a Viking Longboat which is meant to represent WV??

Sometimes you've got to move with the times, I suppose marketing is easier to the younger generation this way. I quite like some of the new names and crests. I'm more than happy with Widnes'. I hated the old badge but the new one is simple and effective.

As with everything, you just have to get it right. Bradford Bulls crest looks tacky, for a big club its kind of embarrassing. Featherstone's new crest is very good. Halifax failed as the blue sox, (couldn't even spell socks right on the badge) and yet some teams are really behind their new image. And the good thing is, a redesign is not seen as something sacreligious so you can keep your image fresh this way.

I don't think the majority of us have a problem with the badges being the teams 're-branded' to their SL-era nicknames. What I think it that even the average guy or girl who knows very little about design can tell if something is well designed/thought out. A lot of badges are too OTT and would be a lot better if they were simplified. I don't know how long Cas have had their current badge but I don't think it's well designed at all.

[EastLondonMike]

personally i think pretty much all the current crop of team badges/crests that were changed for the SL era are pretty awful.. i cant actually think of one that looks genuinely professional and well designed. the rhino's and bulls work as nicknames but the respective club badges that incorporate the animals are pretty dire.. the whole point of the name changes and new badges was to increase potential merchandising and marketing at the clubs.. and i cant imagine that has happened, or happened to a higher level than it would have happened if a certain team was successful.

how many teams have made increased sales solely due to the presence or reference to their adopted nickname in their merchandising, be it bulls, wolves, giants etc?..

Salford became the city reds because Man utd were incorporating the 'red devils' name into their marketing a lot more.. but their use of that now is pretty much non-existant. so salford should just re-brand again, as salford rugby league football club, and re-adopt their original nickname.

wildcats has to be the worst. made especially worse considering the name 'Wakefield Trinity' is such a fantastic traditional team name.

RL clubs should scrap the poor logos and badges, kick into touch the awful animal monikers, and rebrand to a more traditional but modern look. which would be much more appealing, imo.

[Wolford6]

Personally, I think the town or cities coat of arms should be on the rugby shirt, ahead of any club badge.

The City of Bradford crest is a pig's head. Bradford Northern's nickname was the Steam Pigs. Philip Smith's pork pie shop in Ivegate was a Yorkshire landmark.

I think the council would prefer it if we stuck to using the current logo.

[hindle xiii]

The City of Bradford crest is a pig's head. Bradford Northern's nickname was the Steam Pigs. Philip Smith's pork pie shop in Ivegate was a Yorkshire landmark.

I think the council would prefer it if we stuck to using the current logo.

No, it has a pig's head on it. Small and at the top. Dirty Leeds have a dead sheep hanging limp.

[Matt J]

I'd half expect Castleford to release a new logo when they move into their new stadium, it'll be the ultimate re-branding exercise.

I like Widnes' new logo, think its rather smart.

Wasnt keen on Featherstones new logo, but its grown on me and like it now.

[Hornetto]

I'd say the worst of the worst was Penrith Panthers [the NRL fanboys will hate me for sayin that]. Although take a look at the Featherstone Rovers, Sydney Roosters, Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Wests Tigers, Newcastle City Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Bramley Bulldogs & Rochdale Hornets for examples, in my opinion I'd say they're OTT/tacky and should really be better designed.

What do you think?

1. Bramley Buffaloes or Batley Bulldogs - or do you really not know the difference?

2. When the new Rochdale Hornets was founded in 2009, we wanted a new, more accessible identity. As the name had been around since 1871, we thought it was time to put a Hornet on the badge. It couldn't really be better designed: I commissioned Roses winning designer (the Roses are the advertising and design industry awards) Ben Gerrard to produce our badge. His brief was to hit the middle ground between our old Nest Egg logo and the logos of the NRL (he had all NRL logos as reference) and his design - after a couple of tweaks was/is bang on brief. It works on everything from polo shirts and tracky tops to draw tickets and stationery and was designed specifically to do so.

3. The NRL logos you mention are all great examples of sporting graphics (did you even notice that the comb on the head of the Sydney Rooster is the outline of the Sydney Opera House?)

4. Despite my love of the Rabbitohs (and their very, very traditional badge), the Penrith Panther is quite, quite fantastic.

4. Newcastle Knights or York City Knights - or do you really not know the difference?

[hindle xiii]

What else would Featherstone have? A Hull KR badge with a big no symbol?

[Hornetto]

RL clubs should scrap the poor logos and badges, kick into touch the awful animal monikers, and rebrand to a more traditional but modern look. which would be much more appealing, imo.

The name Rochdale Hornets was eastablished in 1871. A condition attached to the foundation of the new club was that we retained the Hornets name. The founders of the original club got there long before superleague.

[Wolford6]

http://www.huddersfield1.co.uk/yorkstales/index.htm

With regard to the wild boar, the head of which forms part of the crest, we are indebted to a certain James Hartley, a schoolmaster, whose school was situated near the bottom of Kirgate two centuries ago, and who translated from ancient documents the following account :

"A ravenous boar of a most enormous size, haunted a certain place called the Cliffe wood, and at times very much infested the town (Bradford) and the neighbouring inhabitants thereof, so that a reward was offered by the government to any person or persons who would bring the head of this boar, which much excited some to attempt it.

Now the story runs thus, That this boar frequented a certain wood to drink, which to this day is called the 'Boar's Well,' that he was watched by a certain person who shot him dead there, took his tongue out of his head and immediately repaired to court to claim the promised reward.

Presently, after his departure from the well, another person came thither upon the same intention and, finding the beast dead, without any further examination, cuts off his head and away he hastes towards the same place, and in expectation of the reward as the former, and there arrives before him.

Being introduced to his majesty's presence, the head was examined but was found without a tongue, concerning which the man was interrogated could give no satisfactory account. Whilst this was held in suspense the other man was introduced with the tongue, claimed the promised reward and unfolded the riddle by informing his Majesty how and by what means he killed the beast, and thus received the following grant :

A certain place or portion of land lying at great Horton known as Hunt Yard and for the tenure of which he and his heirs for ever should annually attend in the market place at Bradford, on St. Martin's day, in the forenoon and there, by the name of the heir of Rushworth, hold a dog of the hunting kind whilst three blasts were blown on a gelder's horn, and these words, 'Come heir of Rushworth, etc.,' expressed aloud.

[HappyDave]

1. Bramley Buffaloes or Batley Bulldogs - or do you really not know the difference?

2. When the new Rochdale Hornets was founded in 2009, we wanted a new, more accessible identity. As the name had been around since 1871, we thought it was time to put a Hornet on the badge. It couldn't really be better designed: I commissioned Roses winning designer (the Roses are the advertising and design industry awards) Ben Gerrard to produce our badge. His brief was to hit the middle ground between our old Nest Egg logo and the logos of the NRL (he had all NRL logos as reference) and his design - after a couple of tweaks was/is bang on brief. It works on everything from polo shirts and tracky tops to draw tickets and stationery and was designed specifically to do so.

3. The NRL logos you mention are all great examples of sporting graphics (did you even notice that the comb on the head of the Sydney Rooster is the outline of the Sydney Opera House?)

4. Despite my love of the Rabbitohs (and their very, very traditional badge), the Penrith Panther is quite, quite fantastic.

4. Newcastle Knights or York City Knights - or do you really not know the difference?

Bramley and Batley aren't the same place?? (I bet Batley folk would hate being mistaken for coming from Leeds. ) I made a mistake I meant Batley Bulldogs but the Bramley Buffalos badge isn't much better.

Yeah, Newcastle Knights not York City Knights.

It's personal opinion dude. I just personally don't think the design of your angry cartoon Hornet is all that great. I'd prefer it if it was a little bit like London Wasps. Simplistic but a good looking design.

Edited September 19, 2010 by HappyDave

[Matt J]

What else would Featherstone have? A Hull KR badge with a big no symbol?

Whippet wearing a flat cap and smoking a pipe, what else?

[Wolford6]

Whippet wearing a flat cap and smoking a pipe, what else?

And no way would it be smiling. Humour's for yon Cas idiots.