BTLNHL #17: New Jersey Devils

With all my preaching of simplicity and refinement in the logo design of NHL teams, I might be accused of being a hypocrite, ranking the New Jersey Devils logo so low, at #17. Essentially, I’m saying over half of the teams have a better logo than this one, and at least half of those are much less minimal and simplistic than this one.

So, what’s going on? Am I going crazy? Not completely, or at least not in relation to this blog. The problem is, well, the logo’s kind of cheesy. Okay, not ‘kind of’. It’s cheesier than a festive cheeseball. It feels like they thought they were clever, they thought they were smart, but they were just too clever by half. Admittedly, there were lots of other (and some much worse) directions they could have gone. And with the N and J, they have a letter combination that works well with the concept, and it’s well-executed. What’s worse though is when a team (say, a minor league affiliate) uses the same concept in a way that totally doesn’t work. It’s about the most unimaginative and lazy thing you can do.

Anyway, by saying well-executed, this is when I start to celebrate the simplicity and refinement of the logo. It has a strength to it, mainly through the massive width of the letters, and it’s got some good movement and flow to it. It also could be argued that it’s iconic. When you see it, it’s easy to figure out exactly what it is (N, J, Devil, got it) and there’s nothing to distract from that. Simply, it works well for what it is. And while it’s simplistic, it’s not necessarily boring either.

The main part of the logo that bugs me is the bottom left, where the N, J and devil’s tail all intersect in the same area. Given the simplicity and strength of the rest of the logo, suddenly this area becomes incredibly busy and the tail of the J gets really thin and weak (or, shall I say, Weekes? Yeah, I think it’s an apt comparison). So, let’s bulk it up a bit, and change the position of the circle, and adjust where the N hits the J, and the result is this. Again, it’s a 10 minutes hack job, so don’t pay too much attention to the rough edges. But, with a few refinements, it cleans up that area a bit.

But, there’s a big difference between liking the execution of a logo and liking the concept. Isn’t there some sort of saying about a pig with lipstick? Like I said earlier, it feels like it’s trying to be too clever, and it comes across as somewhat cheesy.

Also, is it just me, or is it a happy logo? The large curves, especially around the top of the N, give it a less aggressive feeling, which in a sport like hockey and a name like Devils, doesn’t exactly jive well. Unlike these two, who jive very well. If you sharpen up even just that angle, the whole feeling of the logo changes. It needs a lot more refinement to make it a workable logo, but you get my point. Get it, point? 

So, the Devils logo has some things going for it, but like every single one of us, there’s a devil inside. And that places them at 17 out of the 30 team logos in the NHL.

The BTLNTL Countdown Posts

BTLNHL Finals: Boston Bruins v Detroit Red Wings
BTLNHL #3: Philadelphia Flyers
BTLNHL #4: St. Louis Blues
BTLNHL #5: Montreal Canadiens
BTLNHL #6: Pittsburgh Penguins
BTLNHL #7: Chicago Blackhawks
BTLNHL #8: Toronto Maple Leafs
BTLNHL #9: Phoenix Coyotes
BTLNHL #10: Vancouver Canucks
BTLNHL #11: Edmonton Oilers
BTLNHL #12: New York Rangers
BTLNHL #13: Calgary Flames
BTLNHL #14: Buffalo Sabres
BTLNHL #15: Winnipeg Jets
BTLNHL #16: Minnesota Wild
BTLNHL #17: New Jersey Devils
BTLNHL #18: Nashville Predators
BTLNHL #19: Carolina Hurricanes
BTLNHL #20: New York Islanders
BTLNHL #21: Ottawa Senators
BTLNHL #22: Tampa Bay Lightning
BTLNHL #23: Columbus Blue Jackets
BTLNHL #24: Washington Capitals
BTLNHL #25: San Jose Sharks
BTLNHL #26: Florida Panthers
BTLNHL #27: Dallas Stars
BTLNHL #28: Los Angeles Kings
BTLNHL #29: Colorado Avalanche
BTLNHL #30: Anaheim Ducks