But It's Not New

There's always a little bit of excitement and anxiousness when it comes to teams announcing that they've designed a new logo or are introducing new jerseys. As you've likely seen on social media, the Edmonton Oilers alternate jersey has leaked, and everyone who has even seen the Oilers play from any period of time has an opinion. I'll wait until the official unveiling for my opinion on those jerseys, but the OHL's London Knights have gone back to the drawing board to redesign their logo. Today was the unveiling of said new logo!

Here is the comparison between the old Knights logo on the left and the new Knights logo on the right.

If your initial reaction is "they're exactly the same," you're not wrong. They are identical in design. The only thing different about them is the colours used, making this logo redesign not a new design at all. Is this hockey's version of "new and improved"?

From the release put out today,

"To be able to represent many of the previous achievements that this franchise has accomplished, while being able to look forward to the future was incredibly important to us," said London Knights Owner, Vice-President, and General Manager, Mark Hunter, when discussing the inspiration for the new logo. "To be able to extend the legacy of the amazing young men who have played and lived in London is a continuing priority of ours. In looking to develop the new generation of London Knights, this new logo will serve as a reminder of the hard work, passion, and dedication it means to be a London Knight, as represented by our alumni, both in hockey, and in life."

But it's not new. It's simply recoloured. Stop calling it new when it's not new. There isn't one aspect of the logo's design that has changed, moved, been updated, or been upgraded, so the logo is entirely the same. The colours are different, but the logo is the same!

Words are important, folks, and this isn't a case of semantics. If the Knights organization wants to sell more t-shirts, jerseys, and other paraphernalia, they have every right to do so. I'm not going to stop them, but the least they could do is understand that the logo did not change. Tell your fans about the colour changes that reflect the history of the London Knights franchise and how it brings the great teams of the past together with the Knights of the future. Use that marketing if you like, but stop saying the logo is new.

Something can't be improved if it's new, and something new shouldn't need improvements as any improvement made would render the "new" portion false. The oxymoron contained in the "new and improved" statement is one of those things that makes no sense in the same vein that putting a recoloured logo out and calling said logo new makes no sense.

You're better than this, London Knights. Be better.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!