Oklahoma Thunder Logo Less Than Inspiring

Saw this written up on ESPN.com — the Uni Watch column — worth reading for design discussion from time to time.

Being an out of work designer with award winning logo designs under my belt, it makes me sick to my stomach to see that there are design firms that are actually paying their untalented employees real, physical, monies to produce work as atrocious as this. Usually I can look at a logo and say “its good in concept, its just poorly executed” or vice versa but this abomination is so horrendous on so many levels I want to take a stick, whittle it to a fine point, and shove it in my eye. Okay, so I guess the colors are halfway decent if you like the way pro sports teams have been going lately, but I don’t. The first rule of designing a logo for a sports team and for the team’s branding in general should be to utilize no more than two colors. Just try and find one that uses more than two colors and is halfway decent, and when you don’t I’ll let you borrow my stick.

A PS — It gets into the whole free work/contest side of things, but before this awful logo came out, and the team had moved from Seattle to OKC, Uni Watch asked for readers to submit uniform design concepts. Here’s the result — most, if not all, are better than the above end result: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/080731

I was working for the Sonics before I moved to Denver (and a season before they moved to OKC). It’s sad they didn’t even let the Creative Director have a crack at the logo, she’s great. This logo looks more like a bad option for a detergent box than any option for a team called “Thunder.” Wow. Can’t wait to see the uniforms.

I figured out how to make the design scheme work. It comes down to the name. If they renamed themselves “The Oklahoma City Meaningless Poo”, then the design and concept totally work together.

Since you all have a strong opinion about this logo… what are your thoughts on the London 2012 logo? I think I am one of the only ones to really like it.

http://www.london2012.com/

Heck, I would have designed their logo for a handsome gift basket.. if it included a fresh baked Loveland pie.

I like the logo. What’s not to like ?

I work in media, and I think I could do a better job. I mean, I think there might be better clip art in Office 2007, seriously, I’m not even kidding.

@Palmer Polasnki> You’re joking right? Well lack of a job and sheer boredom led me to put this togeher, and I was only thinking of posting it as a follow-up to my earlier post when I read you comment.

http://www.instantimagehosting.com/storage/asdfasdfaaefr.jpg

I have seen only two other teams have Thunder as their mascot. Both did a better job creating a logo too. My favorite is the Wheaton College version.
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/
http://www.wichitathunder.com/

I’m confused :( I thought I liked it , but now I feel like an idiot for liking it.

Im an OKC lifer now in Denver, and at first didn’t mind the Thunder name, until they came out with all the options that I had never considered before. Barons, Marshalls. Not Bad. But I can live with Thunder. The real letdown is the logo. I remember the great OKC logo from the 89 Olympic Trials that the OKC 89ers baseball team wore for years. Have the designers ever been to the original OC? Who did this? Anyone?

This is the closest I could find.
http://www.baseballtoddsdugout.com/OKC89ers.jpg

Looks like Ackerman McQueen DId it

am.com

I live in OKC and we all hate it. I’m a designer as well, and I once worked at the agency that did this thing… The rumors are the designers were micromanaged by the agency VP and that lady is stuck in the early 90s with her design. It’s awful. You should see some of the other awful logos they do, but their the biggest agency in town—obviously not the best…

I think this logo is pretty similar to his one found here:
http://www.pg.com/en_PK/products/safeguard/images/hh_logo_safeguard.gif

I agree with the opinion that the logo sucks. I also know a designer who works at AM and he also agrees that it could have been AMAZING. He said that the original logo that was created by a designer at AM for the Thunder was COMPLETELY different and was really awesome. However, the client wanted this instead. I stumbled upon this post looking for the original, but I don't have high hopes in finding it.