The Portland Timbers are a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Portland, Oregon. The team name, mascot, theme and logo are all great. And they serve as a great example of properly building and protecting a strong brand. The team’s history actually dates back to the 1970’s and to playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL). But they did not join MLS until 2011.
Portland Timbers logo
Why is it a great brand?
– The name is original. There are many sports team names that are unoriginal. TIMBERS, to my knowledge, is unique.
– The name is suggestive: it evokes trees, rugged lumberjacking, nature, and the Pacific Northwest.
– The colors are part of the suggestiveness as well. And the colors are fairly unique and different for a professional sports team.
– The name and the logo (at least the old version) have been registered with the USPTO.
PORTLAND TIMBERS Trademark Registration
– It is capable of telling a story. The brand has ‘character’. Building upon the suggestiveness, the Timbers mascot is “Timber Joey”, an outdoorsman. “A beloved Timbers match-day tradition is the sawing of a slab off a log following every Timbers goal and presenting the slice to the goal-scorer in a post-match ritual.” (from Timbers website)
As a whole, the name and brand are great. They are unique, suggestive, creative, and protected!
Here is a cool video from the team about the logo:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDdU3vA_o4E?rel=0&w=560&h=349]
You should update the logo you show here as it was the version rejected by the fans. The revised logo eliminated the highlights on the Axe and the additional stripes at the sides of the lettering.
The whole process of that give and take with the fans is worthy of a write up too. Search for the Timbers Logo thread on the BrandNew.com web site and read the comments there.