Learn to design your own hockey team logo during our in-house Kids First programming on Saturday, July 25th 2020.  Our new Covid-19 plan ensures a safe experience for all.

Registration for Kids First programming can be done by emailing s.bernard@thepolygon.ca.

INSPIRATION

To complete our exploration of good hockey logo design, we are pulling inspiration from the works in the exhibition The Canucks: A Photo History of Vancouver’s Team.

For anyone visiting the gallery, download and print this ‘Seek and Find’ document before your visit, to help you look closer at the photographs in the exhibition. Or, use your personal device to look at it as you go through the exhibit with your family.

 

STEP 1: GATHER MATERIALS

•   Coloured foam sheets (Easier alternative: coloured construction paper)
•   Scissors (With adult supervision: pen/exacto knife)
•   Hot glue gun (Easier alternative: stick glue and/or Scotch tape)
•   Pen/markers
•   Fun extra: magnetic tape

 

STEP 2: TURN AN IMAGE OF AN ANIMAL INTO AN IDEA FOR YOUR LOGO

More complicated logos use a symbol or animal as the main idea. Start by looking for images of animals you think can represent your hockey team, either on a computer or electronic device, or by looking through old magazines. By looking carefully at the head of the animal, trace the outline for your logo on the colour of foam that best suits you before cutting it out.

PRO TIP 1: Don’t be worried if the animal has a different colour than in real life, as this can make for a striking logo design.

 

STEP 3: LAYER YOUR MAIN IDEA WITH A DIFFERENT COLOUR

The second layer for your animal should give you a sense of its skin or fur, and should be a lighter or darker colour than the main contour of the body or head. This layer should also be smaller than the first, so that you’re adding a first layer of details to the character. Leave the eyes and teeth for last though, as the black/white details are the final step.

PRO TIP 2: Use one of the eyes or ears as a stencil to make an opposite and symmetrical match for your animal.

 

STEP 4: FINISH YOUR LOGO WITH A FINAL LAYER OR TWO OF FUN DETAILS

Apart from adding white eyes and teeth, you can make the back of the mouth black or red if the mouth is open, or add a bright colour detail to the side of your animal to give them some energy and to outline his or her features. You can even add a hockey stick or puck at this point to make them look like a team player, as the final touch.

 

Once you are happy with how you’ve layered all the parts to your logo, use the hot glue gun to bind them together. Add a few pieces of magnetic strip to the back, and stick it where the rest of the family can see it.

PRO TIP 3: If you are busy waiting to use the glue gun, make a quick drawing of a family member. Add a border, and the ‘Canucks’ title to your drawing to make it look like a hockey card. Then when you get home, use your logo magnet to hold your drawing to the refrigerator.

STEP 5: SHARE YOUR WORK

If you share your work online, be sure to tag @polygongallery as we would love to see the hockey logos you’ve come up with. Have fun!

Read more on the career of retired Vancouver Sun photographer Ralph Bower in this article written by John Mackie for the Vancouver Sun.