Designing the League

Why Design is Important

Many people watch sports and don’t even notice what either team is wearing. I am not one of those people. When I watch sports, yes I’m watching the game, but I’m also looking at and judging the uniforms worn by both teams. Sports design is my passion, combining my two biggest loves in one place. The design of a team is critical, a good design can make a team iconic, while a poor one can actually hurt the team.

The MAHL is no different from any other league with teams within the organization constantly growing and evolving everything from their logos, to uniforms, and occasionally even team names. Design styles evolve over time, as do trends, and that can be seen in the history of this league with teams adopting new logos and uniforms based on the time period.

Uniform comparison between the original 1926 Black Hawks and the modern Blackhawks.

Design Evolution

This was one of the biggest challenges for me early on in the league. Trying to make logos meant to mimic the style of logos used in the early and mid 20th century. This meant intentionally making some design errors to fit the time and allow for adjustments down the line. Though it was tough to make old looking logos, it was a lot of fun to make vintage style hockey jerseys, often including wild barber pole type striping.

Since the MAHL is an ongoing project, new designs are constantly being created. Whether it be new expansion teams joining, or current teams making adjustments, I am constantly working behind the scenes on new designs. There is also a lot of extra designing that is added to give more depth to the world. This includes things such as mascots, championship banners, and center ice designs that also update as time goes by.

With a project the size of the MAHL, making unique logos and jerseys for each team is a massive undertaking, but it is also my favorite part of the job. I absolutely love getting to design new looks for existing teams, adding another chapter to their history. I also love to introduce expansion teams, starting from scratch and creating a brand new identity from top to bottom is just super fun.

Minneapolis Millers logo evolution over time.

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