One could argue that my selection for best design contribution of 2007 could have been chosen in a patriotic effort to showcase some quality Canadian content.
True, this logo could have been nominated due to my undeniable personal affinity with the discipline of corporate identity development. I may have also selected it just to be different, knowing that none of my fellow contributors would choose such an unlikely small town candidate. Although none of these motivations lack validity, I am proud to present the Saskatoon Blades logo for your consideration based on the simple fact that the brilliant new design is magnified by decades of absolute repugnancy.
The simple construction of the logo combined with layers of meaning is what I think makes it great. To have the vision to associate the “S” and the “B” with a 3- dimensional skate blade and combine it with the powerful imagery of the hilt and blade of a dangerous looking knife is uncommonly clever. The combination of three simple colours is effective and clean. The precise vertical balance of the elements used, makes the threat of being sliced up abundantly clear.
Even as a self-proclaimed swoosh-hater, the swooshes in this logo not only add knife wielding movement to the design, they also fit right in as skate laces.
After appreciating this design for some time I got to thinking that perhaps if I was the client, I would have requested to see a version of the logo with the skate/knife handle act as the “A” in “Blades”. I feel that might be another great opportunity to add some interactivity between the text and the visual elements.
The only other comment I have is the related to the positioning of “Saskatoon”. With the team name being the “Saskatoon Blades”, it’s a little counter intuitive to have it convey “Blades Saskatoon”. I have decided it’s something I can live with.
The symbolic relevance of the elements that compose this logo are harmonic and seamless. The meaning runs deep and the overall look is powerful. Those are the reasons why I’m a big fan. If you do not share my admiration, you are more than welcome to adopt an earlier iteration as your favourite.