The four best-looking eSports logos, in my opinion, balance simplicity with creativity and symbolize something more than what’s visible. While some organizations completely miss the mark, the following are the ones that succeed, to me, in creating marketable, recognizable, and aesthetic symbols for their teams and operations.
1. 100 Thieves
Simple but different, the 100 Thieves’ logo stands out to me for its freestyle font. The scribbled nature of the text and surrounding circle fits with the rebellious theme of the org’s name itself. I find the logo is easy to make out, and it sticks to the major colors. The long-stroke at the bottom of the “1” digit and the long stroke atop the letter “T” create balance across the design. For their symbol to be so simple and clear yet unique and original, it deserves this praise without question.
100Thieves’ scrappy font style
In the words of Nadeshot, the org’s founder and CEO, “100 Thieves [means] you are going to have to put 100% of yourself into 100% of what you do and go and take what is not given to you.” With this in mind, the logo style can be seen as representing the rugged effort that goes into taking what one deserves.
2. Natus Vincere
I believe the yellow-on-black color scheme definitely makes “NAVI” stand out, as does the black-ops-like, but smoother and more italic font. The border also allows for the placement of “Natus Vincere” below the big and bold yellow. Certainly, the highlight is the yellow text, in which the letters blend in to each other but are still clear to my eyes, nonetheless. The rounded edges of the design’s outline contrast the edges of the “NAVI” text, but in a way that creates equal spacing around this mean text.
NAVI’s bold yellow
In Latin, Natus Vincere translates to “born to win.” Although, you’ll find Redditors arguing about the grammatical accuracy of the org’s name. Evidently, it seems the more accurate wording would read Natus Victu.
3. G2
Many opt to try and organize their initials in a clever way, but G2 actually combobulated theirs to look like a samurai helmet. The creativity almost borders excessive, in my opinion; I feel it’s a design that, if given too much flare, would fail. But this particular rendition does a good job in emphasizing the “G2” with a red accent for the samurai’s left eye. The outside adornments which complete the helmet are sort of vague to me, but the combination of the outside elements with the interior text makes it work.
According to a video on G2’s Facebook, the samurai was chosen as the org’s mascot for what samurai culture represented: tenacity, teamwork, and discipline. If you’d like to see an animated retelling of exactly how the samurai logo was chosen, the video above has just the thing.
4. Cloud9
Three 9’s huddled together to look like a cloud, Cloud9‘s logo is simple, yet perfectly effective as one of the best eSports logos. It captures the entirety of the org’s name; to me, it’s recognizable, and the connectivity of the three digits is smooth and aesthetically pleasing. Fittingly, the white is like a cloud and is usually placed on a sky-blue background. There’s not much more to say about it except that it’s clear and effective.
Cloud9’s 999
Cory Heimbecker, an ex-Best Buy employee, submitted the idea after only a few rough drafts. Heimbecker went on to become nothing less than the lead graphic designer.
I believe these are the four best, most well-designed eSports logos. They each allude to values and origins dear to their respective organizations. Additionally, the designers seemed to prioritize clarity without ever sacrificing individuality.
