Boring Super Bowl Logos Take Something Away From Big Game

In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, nothing and no-one is safe from criticism or overanalysis. That includes the bland and boring Super Bowl logos, which have shown no interest in being anything other than a copy-and-paste rehash of the year before, with only the roman numerals changing on an annual basis.

This pointless rant stems from a leak of the Super Bowl LII logo posted online earlier this week. Set to be played in Minnesota’s state-of-the-art U.S. Bank Stadium, the asymmetrical, unbalanced logo features one major change to this year’s design.

The red and silver colour scheme has been changed to – wait for it – blue and silver. You know, the famous uniform colours of the Purple People Eaters? Keep the template the same if you must, but the right colours continue to stare the No Fun League square in the face year after year, only for Roger Goodell and his corporate cronies to dismiss any creative alternatives in favour of some soulless branding.

The best Super Bowl logos don’t just look great in their own right. They capture the emotions and memories of the game, its host city, or even the social constructs of the time.

The fanciful, regal stylings of Super Bowl IX reflect the first championship for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the “kings” of football’s Super Bowl era. The hard symmetricality of Super Bowl XX conjures memories of the ’85 Bears and their 46-10 demolition of the Patriots to forever cement their legacy.

The purples and greens of Super Bowl XXXI pop with the fun and festivities of Mardi Gras in the Big Easy, one of the Super Bowl’s favorite sons. The outward patriotism of Super Bowl XXXVI again displayed a nation united after the 9/11 attacks, forming a perfect backdrop to Tom Brady’s first title and a sign of things to come.

Somewhere down the line, the league lost its sense of character, perhaps satisfied that the Super Bowl itself is good enough reason to tune in. They’re not wrong, but that doesn’t mean we should be robbed of some ancillary whimsy along the way.