This is old news, but I talk to enough people who don’t realize that the NFL updated its shield logo this season that I figured it was still worth posting. This was really more of a refresh than a redesign:

• The football symbol was redrawn to look like the football that sits atop the Vince Lombardi (Super Bowl) Trophy.
• The number of stars was reduced from the arbitrary 25 to 8, one each to represent the combined 4 NFC and 4 AFC divisions. Apparently there were official apparel licensees who were reducing the number of stars to keep the logo from becoming a mess when embroidered and silkscreened at small sizes.
• The antique serifs on the “NFL” type were replaced with stronger, chiseled serifs. The white space around the type was also increased; both of these modifications were designed to make the logo easier to read.

We do a fair share of logo refresh (or “Brand Aid”) design work, which is a great alternative to designing a new logo because it lets you retain any brand recognition you’ve established while improving any aesthetic and/or practical shortcomings of your existing logo.

The information and image above are from this USA today article:

www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2007-08-30-shield-change_N.htm