The Simplification of NFL Team Logos: Television and Graphic Design in the 1950s and 1960

Abstract

This study analyzes National Football League team logos and the way they have changed. Focusing on the relationship between television and logo design, it explores the influence of the medium on design, beginning in the 1950s, as influences in graphic design during this time apparently caused changes in logo design. This paper argues that the technical requirements of television and changes in aesthetic philosophy in the field of graphic design contributed to the makeover of football team logos during this era, with visual data corroborating our assumptions.