Ski Area Logos: Best and Worst

[jamesdeluxe]

A Snowjournal thread got me thinking about the role of a ski area logo -- those that do the job effectively and those that need to be redesigned. Anyone got favorites or ones they love to hate? Here are some off the top of my head:

There are classic logos that should never be changed:

And there are logos designed during the 70s that really need to be updated:

I like when they show an animal with a goofy grin:

But I don't like when they try to get ambitious and mix metaphors -- combining an animal with the outline of a mountain:

Or a snow flake with a maple leaf (this also falls into the 1970s graphic that needs to be updated):

I was always on the fence with the Whiteface logo, but it's grown on me:

Alta... I don't dislike it, but it's not a favorite:

You can spend all day checking out cool oldtime logos from the NELSAP site:

And you have to admire the sheer political incorrectness of logos with half-naked native Americans:

 

[Admin]

Three of the ones that you panned or semi-panned came to mind as among the best as this topic first loaded.

• Jay Peak: Simple, classy and identifiable. It's a standard and shouldn't be changed.
• Snowbird: ditto
• Alta: Classic in its simplicity, just like the ski area. If I had a buck for every vehicle driving around town with that logo on a rear window...

 

[icelanticskier]

sugarloaf beats em all and i bet there are more loaf stickers on cars out there than alta or the hole combined.
burkes "northern star" logo was pretty bad.
rog

 

[jamesdeluxe]

There's no right or wrong, and it's not a popularity contest... I'm just curious to know what appeals to people's visual sense and how a logo reflects a ski area. I'm of the opinion that little or nothing of any aesthetic value came from the 1970s (or thereabouts), so that's why I don't like the logos from Jay Peak or Snowbird. They make me think of the Houston Astros uniforms from that era.

Alta: Classic in its simplicity, just like the ski area.

I can always count on Admin to deliver some nice Alta marketing prose. :mrgreen:

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Here are two more from my best/worst list:

Jackson Hole hit a grand slam with this one... incredibly recognizable and tells a great story. And it gets extra points because it doesn't use mountain or snow flake imagery.

I love Grand Targhee, but they really need to go back to the drawing board for this new logo... I assume it's a graphic something or other of the Grand Teton, but with the rounded lines, it's not very powerful. Someone on TGR said it looked like deer droppings.

I think they should use this as their starting point... something that plays off the western theme:

 

[riverc0il]

The "JAY" part of the Jay Peak logo is indeed classic. And the absolute worst logo design of any major ski area in New England (IMO). Ick. I like the Jay logo with the blue and green snowflake. Jamesdeluxe confuses me though by picking on Jay for the snowflakeleaf but highlighting Mad River as a good logo with its snowflakebranch. Both are fine in my book, though the "JAY" font without the snowflakeleaf is horrid.

For the classics that should never change, Stowe, Mad River, and Sugarloaf all come to mind for the east and Snowbird and Alta for the west. Sugarloaf is without a doubt the most recognizable logo that says it all without a name whereas Stowe says it all in its name.

I have always really been partial to Cannon's logo though their slogan's are hit or miss (and when they miss, they miss big). I always loved "It's a Blast!!" under the Cannon logo. The black diamond sticker with the yellow outline just gets me all the time. The only logos affixed to my helmet currently are a pair of those small black diamonds behind either ear (though I did cut up a Mad River slogan and stick it on, but not the logo).

Hard thinking up logos I think should absolutely not change. Black Mountain, NH could sure use an update and so could Magic Mountain, VT. Neither speak well for their respective mountains. Tenney's "10e" was innovative but cute logos just don't cut it. Sugarbush has a quality logo but it doesn't seem classic to me.

 

[Geoff]

I always liked the Valle Nevado graphic.

The Sugarloaf logo is a classic. I prefer the old USA version. That's pretty much the only New England logo I think is remarkable.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Yeah, Sugarloaf is tough to miss.

Here are some others to consider:

Magic Mountain is penalized 15 yards for an ugly, out-of-date font and an above-the-treeline peak (in southern VT):

Gore Mountain, blah:

I like the fonts for The Canyons and Sugarbush:

Sutton's is nice and simple, and the wooden sign as a background is interesting:

But its website, with the goofy faux-60s banners, is one of my favorites:
http://www.montsutton.com/fr/
http://www.montsutton.com/fr/quoi-de-ne ... tation.php


I kinda like the hippyish sun graphic for Snowbasin:

Godawful... looks like signage for a subway:

 

[Admin]

Godawful... looks like signage for a subway:

Coincidence? I think not. :wink:

 

[Marc_C]

But I don't like when they try to get ambitious and mix metaphors -- combining an animal with the outline of a mountain:

Sorry, that's incorrect. They're not mixing metaphors. Their logo is a stylized native American bear fetish. Used and made by all Southwestern American Indian tribes, fetishes are objects which represent the spirits of animals or the forces of nature. The bear represents great strength. While there are all manner of representations of the bear, a very common one includes a jagged line with an arrow on one end. This line/arrow is called the lifeline or heart line. It begins at the mouth where breath gives life and points to the soul (spirit) where faith and inner strength preside.The line is not unlike the outline of a mountain.

This one happens to be Hopi:

Here's one that's Zuni:

And another:

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Sorry, that's incorrect. They're not mixing metaphors. Their logo is a stylized native American bear fetish. Used and made by all Southwestern American Indian tribes, fetishes are objects which represent the spirits of animals or the forces of nature.

You're right, and my ex-wife busted me on it a day after I posted this thread. Especially embarrassing considering that we lived in New Mexico for four years.

 

[Lifty@50]

I would agree with one of the poster to say that Jackson Hole has a highly recognizable logo that for those that have skied there reflects the "wild" and somewhat reckless attitude of the local population (not the folks staying at the Four Seasons). The best evidence is the sign hanging over the entrance to the tram dock* that says "inverted maneuvers not recommended".

* It may no longer be there since the "Vail-ification" of JH is in full swing and I only skied Targhee and the Pass last year.