Before we begin to look at the branding experience of the NHL hockey team Vancouver Canucks, let's look at a brief video on "What is a Brand". We will see how this applies to the Vancouver Canucks branding experience and evolution
Most successful sports brands begin their branding around the COMMUNITY they are representing.
The Community of Vancouver
- Vancouver is located on the West Coast in the lower mainland of BC.
- Is nestled between the Straight of Georgia to the West and the Coastal Mountains to the East
- Has a population of over 600,000 but the Greater Vancouver Area has a total population of 2.1 million.
- Strong Multicultural influence.
- Situated on the Pacific Coast, Metro Vancouver residents experience moderate temperatures year round. However, the sea breezes and mountainous terrain make Metro Vancouver a region of micro-climates, with local variations in weather sometimes being more exaggerated than those experienced in other coastal areas.
- One most famous attractions is the large urban park, Stanley Park, occupying a space between Burrard Inlet and Vancouver harbour.
- The famous totem poles inside Stanley Park represent a selection of First Nations found in the BC lower mainland.
The Vancouver Canucks
- Vancouver Canucks are a professional hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL).
- The Canucks joined the league in 1970.
- After 12 years in the league, the Canucks make it the championship final, 1982 Stanley Cup, losing to the NY Islanders.
- In 1994, the Canucks would return to the Stanley Cup championship again, but again losing, this time to the NY Rangers.
- In 2011, the Canucks make a 3rd run at the Stanley Cup championship, but falling short by one game to the Boston Bruins.
Vancouver Canucks Branding 1970
- When the Vancouver Canucks entered the league in 1970, they turned to local Vancouver designer, Joe Borovich to begin the branding process.
- He came with the following logo called the "Stick in the Rink" concept,
Components to "Stick in the Rink"
- Blue/Green colors to represent the blue of the ocean, and the green of the mountains/Vancouver parks.
- The rounded oval represents a hockey rink, the stick represents the sport of hockey
- The stick breaks the oval to make a letter C for Canucks
Vancouver Canucks Branding 1978
- By 1978, Canucks owners felt a new "modern fresh" approach was needed for the team, so a rebrand was ordered.
- At the time Team President Bill Hughes was quoted as saying that "Marketing experts told us that our logo was a good corporate symbol too uninspiring for a sports team…color psychologists recommended the new color combination which arouses excitement and aggression. They said blue and green were too general, too bland and tranquil…the general public made us decide to change the color and logo. Over the years, we've had more complaints about the crest than anything else. It was too vague. An extensive study by the consultants said our old colors couldn't have been worse-that blue and green are too cold and passive for a hockey team."
- The franchise engaged Beyl & Boyd, a San Francisco-based design and marketing firm, to take on the task of creating a fresh, new, modern look for the team. Their efforts (for a reported cost of $100,000) resulted in one of the most memorable sports identities ever created, instantly referred to with derision and ridicule.
- The first iteration of the new design was black, orange and yellow V's down the front.
- At the Time designer for this concept reportedly said about the "V" for "Vancouver"—"…it creates the ideal diagonal stripe. All teams have horizontal or vertical stripes. That's static. Diagonal stripes get your attention. They're like the crooked picture on the wall.
- Also concerning the color scheme, the designer said: "White, being a passive color, induces the least response of all. And green—did you know that in ancient times green - not black, but green was the color symbolizing death? White produces no response at all, so we went for yellow—which is warm, pleasant, happy. Upbeat. The cool color is passive, the hot one aggressive. Plus the black. It's the contrast of colors that creates emotion."
- A new logo was also designed and featured a "pop art" skate speeding over the word "Canucks."
- It was created by illustrator Mike Bull, and was chosen for its positive attributes of "movement and style."
This is what The Calgary Herald newspaper had to say about the rebrand:
- Over the next six years, local fans were generally unhappy and fans league-wide ridiculed this"70s style" branding and by 1984, the organization simplified the branding.
The pop art skate logo moved to the front and gone is the overwhelming colored V's that were visually distracting
Vancouver Canucks Rebrand 1997
- The Vancouver Canucks decide again in 1997 to rebrand, this time with more traditional colors
- With new owners, Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, the team decided to return to the blue/white background and to completely remake the logo.
- In 1997 the Canucks unveiled a new logo, in which a Haida style orca whale breaking out of a patch of ice forms a stylized “C”.
- The logo has been much maligned, accused of being a blatant reference to their parent company, Orca Bay, now Canucks Sports and Entertainment.
Vancouver Canucks Rebrand 2008
- In 2008 the Vancouver Canucks decide on a slight adjustment to the brand.
- They kept the orca whale logo, but changed the team’s colors to match the original look from 1970 – 1971.
- The word-mark “VANCOUVER” was added to the chest area above the orca.
- In supplementary branding, the original green color was added to the uniform, website, print material, banners, flags, and social media accounts.
Canucks Consistency of Brand
- Whether it be from the website, to banners, to flags, to posters, to hockey cards, consistency of the brand remains paramount.
Technical Aspects to the Canucks brand
- To keep the consistency to the brand, brand guidelines are executed.
- This applies to both font and color.
- Official Canucks font is a modified version of Agency FB
- Reebok owns the rights to this exact modified font which is proprietary to them and is not for resale or reproduction.
Brand Usage in Social Media
In groups of three of four, look at the social media accounts for the Vancouver Canucks. Examine Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.
- How is the branding consistent across the social media platforms?
- How is their some significant differences in the branding in the social platforms?
- Is there any areas of branding that really stands out in the social media platforms?