Today we’ll tell you an instructive story about ways of getting to the top of NFL being a complete outsider. Those teams can’t boast having enough fans to fill a stadium. And no team would be proud of having too little victories in Super Bowl championship. And three of those were left in 70s anyway. However, field effectiveness may not be the major goal of a team. Oakland Raiders and their logo are an excellent example for those who are aiming at brand designing alone!
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Initially, the club was based in Oakland, California, belonging to western division. The very first team name was Oakland Seniors as a tribute to the first Spanish settlers. However, there was a mistake in the name and addressing players as “seniors” is simply ridiculous, pretentious and annoying at the same time. As a result, everyone was mocking the team. The beginning turned out to go wrong.
The name was changed in order to prevent being mocked in media. “Oakland Raiders” sounded much more plausible and public liked it too. However, it is still unclear what do name and logo mean. It is hard to tell a pirate from a raider actually. Both are raiding. May be pirates do it on sea, but not all the time however. What’s more, starting with the first Raiders logo the suggestion was stressed. The meaning of it was clear or even eloquent. Randolph Scott portrait was used for logo making. He also was wearing an eye patch and a football helmet. And two crossed sabers for a background were surely looking aggressively. A western character face, its wide jaw and a sharp look on his face were stressing a firm resolve of the team.
From commercial perspective the solution really was scoring. Despite the team being a decent one, the sales were increasing one day after the other. Due to their flamboyant behavior and careful branding, Raiders have surpassed any other team when it comes to commerce. They sell really a lot, and no other team can beat their score. And team fans even have their own name for the team. They call it “Raiders Nation”. You just figure out the meaning.
Quite logically, Raiders logo remains the same as it was designed a long time ago. Even font wasn’t changed at all. It is still grave and pushing. Even its name “Twentieth Century MT Ultrabold” seems to support an image of aggression.
Formed in 1960, Raiders are an American professionally based soccer team from Oakland, California. For their first ten long seasons, the Raiders were part of the American Football League; since the 1970 amalgamation of both the AFL and the NFL, they have been in the National Football League. Oakland Raiders have been part of the American Football Association’s Western Division since 2013. For fifty-four extended periods, the Raiders have had considerable success.
It is still not clear what the name and the logo mean. In fact, it’s hard to tell the difference between a pirate and a raider. Both make raids. Maybe pirates do it at sea, but not all the time, though. A portrait of Randolph Scott was used to create the logo. He was wearing an eye patch and soccer helmet as well. And the twin sabers crossed in the backdrop certainly seemed brutal. The western character’s facial expression, his broad jaw and sharp gaze underscored the team’s firm determination.
The 1963 Oakland Raiders recruited Al Davis is the new head trainer, who had been with the club for 30 years with a phenomenal record. This talented man is the one who designed the team’s logo. Following the union of the AFL and NFL, the Oakland soccer club, the young and promising Raiders, became one of the league’s strongest teams under Davis’ careful guidance. Al Davis’s name along with the rest of the outstanding players who once played for the Raiders are listed in the Hall of Fame.
SEO specialist, link builder, and blog editor at Turbologo. Writing insightful content about marketing, design, and branding. Sharing practical tips on building and promoting brands online.
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