Do Charlotte Hornets have the NBA's second best logo?
The Charlotte Hornets have not existed as long as most other NBA franchises, but their logo is still one of the league's most pleasant to look at.
Grantland's Zach Lowe dug up the history behind every logo in the league, then ranked all 30 teams by several different factors. Charlotte came in extremely high. Here's why, based on what Lowe wrote:
Only the Chicago Bulls ranked higher than Charlotte, which has a great color scheme and relatively intimidating mascot and nickname.
Objectively speaking, Hornets aren't very nice. But Charlotte's logo definitely is.
(h/t: Grantland)
Jordan Brand reached out to Richardson’s firm for this landmark rebrand, and the target was simple, Richardson recalls: “This is not your father’s Hugo.” The Hornets couldn’t resurrect the original Hugo; the league had classified it a legacy mark, meaning it was off-limits. The Hornets wanted a dangerous, aggressive update, and holy cow, did Richardson deliver. That squinty-eyed bugger looks angry, with stingers on every side. There is a lot of white, but that amps up the contrast with the teal sections. They are easy to see, and the sharp tension makes the logo crackle. There isn’t another one shaped quite like it, with the accented wings soaring above the bug’s body. There are separate, jagged shapes pulsing throughout, but they meld together. “It feels awake and energetic,” Fox says. “Like if you aren’t paying attention, it will sting you in the ass.” Indeed.