Anaheim Ducks’ jersey and logo rebrand puts the orange in Orange County

LAS VEGAS — When Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson and the Anaheim Ducks take the ice in October, there will be zero mistaking where they’re from or their mission. Orange County is now unapologetically Orange Country.

The Ducks released details of their rebrand and new look on Wednesday as the hockey world convened on Las Vegas for the 2024 NHL Draft. Gone is the webbed-D foot, and the iconic Mighty Duck logo from 1993 has returned as their primary logo mark – but with a truculent refresh and a bold new color palette.

This is not a retro look. You won’t find any eggplant and jade from the only pro sports franchise born from a movie. No, the Ducks’ new home uniform will see the team outfitted in “Ducks Orange” from head to toe – including helmet, jersey, pants and socks – all in a nod to Orange County.

“We are distinctly not L.A.. We don’t want to be L.A.. We are not from L.A.,” Ducks vice president of marketing Merit Tully told Daily Faceoff. “We’re moving in a bold direction and there’s a reason for it – we want to represent people who are underrepresented. We believe Orange County is underserved as a pro sports market.”

The Ducks will become the first NHL team ever to wear orange helmets. Their road uniform, which is white, will also have orange pants.

“We’re a market of five million people in Orange County and neighboring Riverside County, none of whom say they’re from L.A. We want to be the flagship franchise, and we are passionate about the history and where we come from,” Tully said.

Tully said the Ducks have been hard at work on the re-design for the past three to four years with input spearheaded by Jillian Reddin, daughter of Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli, who is also the AHL San Diego Gulls’ director of hockey operations and helped design their uniform. In fact, they were so deep in the design process that the NHL allowed both the Ducks and Kings to launch their new looks despite the fact that almost all other design changes throughout the league were put on moratorium in the first year of Fanatics taking over as official jersey supplier.

There are a number of nuanced elements weaved into the new design that show the care and thought that went into the rebrand.

The first things fans should notice, Tully said, is a new-look eyebrow affixed to the Mighty Duck logo: “It shows there is an aggression to Orange County, when provoked we can come out of our shell, as well as waves from our famous beach. We’ve got some of the best beaches in the world, but if you go out on the rock reefs, there can be some more severe breaks and they can be fierce.”

“I think that reflects well on where we’re heading as a team,” Tully added.

There are two other notable parts of the design: The Ducks preserved the “W” spelled out on the tape of the crossed sticks, supposed to represent Wild Wing, their mascot. And the font on the new team wordmark and last names on the jerseys is an art deco style, which is a nod to the neighboring citrus industry from decades ago, which used a lot of art deco on signs advertising orange sales.

The Ducks decided to keep the webbed-D foot as a shoulder crest. But as Anaheim transitions into their next iteration, it really is all about the orange.

“We had some of our biggest successes with the webbed-D, and we’re not bashful about that, but we’re into our 30’s now as a franchise. We’re confident in who we are, where we are,” Tully said. “We were the last ones to arrive in California, the first ones to success. No one has the background to claim orange like us. We’re claiming this place. We identify as orange.”

_____

POST SPONSORED BY bet365

_____

Recently by Frank Seravalli