AIRDRIE, Alberta — The following is an email sent to me by Gold Card CPRA Member Mac McKie with his thoughts on the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo.
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Ted,
In my opinion the new logo is a giant step backwards!
The idea of a logo is to give instant visual recognition and promotion to your product. A bucking horse stretched across a red maple leaf on a white background shouts “Rodeo Canada” even if you cannot read English. The new logo? Not so much. A couple of pencil swishes says absolutely nothing Canadian and as far as rodeo only resembles an abused hat after the rodeo dance.
Respectfully,
Mac McKie
Gold Card Member D0555
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Pro Rodeo Canada logo prior to 2015 change.
Current Pro Rodeo Canada logo brought into effect by current management mid-season 2015.
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Share your thoughts on the new and old logos in a comment below if you so desire.
To get the conversation started, I believe that the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo does not meet the standards when compared to the logos of other professional sports.
Not having a logo that can compare already puts us behind when working towards improving the sport. As far as the “Canadian” part of our sport, the hat in the new logo looks more like one someone in the Australian outback would wear or one you might find in a box of beer. Or like Mac said, after you drank a box of beer.
Then there is the notion some have talked about how the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo closely resembles the Calgary Tourism logo on the welcome signs.
While we are on the subject, I think moving away from the name of last year’s “Pro Rodeo Canada Grass Roots Series” was the wrong way to go. This year’s Pro Rodeo Canada Series doesn’t make much sense. That’s kind of like NASCAR having a NASCAR Series isn’t it? Like the NASCAR NASCAR Series. We’ve currently got Pro Rodeo Canada’s Pro Rodeo Canada Series…
Rather than only point out the problem in this note today, I’d like to offer a solution.
Go back to the old logo, but change it slightly.
- Leave out CPRA on the old logo since we are moving away from that name. The CPRA can be known to the fans as Pro Rodeo Canada with the right direction.
- Make the maple leaf, the most recognizable symbol of our nation, more simple design wise in the logo if necessary.
- Make the bronc rider more simple design wise, and or bigger, like you see below in the PRCA’s logo below.
- Add or drop “Pro Rodeo Canada” from the old logo as needed when using it in different situations. Update the text if needed
- Put it out as a contest or request for help from the members, it’s their association and I don’t think this logo represents them properly.
Here are a couple examples of what an updated version of the old CPRA logo could look like. They aren’t necessarily the answer but I think they are way closer to being on the right track.
Last but not least, I may not wear one of these buckles, but the new Pro Rodeo Canada logo absolutely has no place on a championship as prestigious as this.
Comments
It kind of reminds me of your logo actually…! and the hat doesn’t even really look like a hat…
It kind of looks like your old hat did eh? Haha
Im so glad someone made this public comment on the new logo!
I am in complete agreement that the new logo looks like Calgary Tourism and brings nothing to the plate on what we are… CANADIAN Pro Rodeo!!!!
I may be bold to come right out and say this, but there are things that need fixing in our association… Our Logo & Name were not one of them!
Looks like Apple created it. I don’t like it at all, not very “cowboy” or “western” themed. It’s making rodeo look like a downtown Calgary businessman dawning his “white cowboy hat” for a few days outta the year, instead of the reality…. Dirty jeans, rough hands, blood drops on the boots after a day of branding, casterating & likely riding a broncy colt….. That’s a Cowboy. Leave the old bronc logo
Good article Ted. Hard to disagree with the criticism of the new logo, and I think your suggestions for an update of the old logo are sound. I think the old logo could use a change to look more modern, but like Mack said, should speak Rodeo and Canada at a glance.
Nothing in the new logo distinguishes us as Canadians. We should be proud of our country. The scribble that is called a “hat” resembles the Resistol hat logo. This is plain, boring, and unrepresentative of Canada. Stay true to our roots and maple leaf!
The old logo was easily distinguished and represents rodeo in canada. There was no questions what or who rodeo canada was. The new logo does not represent rodeo in canada. The hat looks like some squiggly lines or many be a mountain. People not associated with rodeo or the western lifestyle would have not clue what it is.
Pretty hard to beat the old logo. Have to agree with Mac.
I agree wholeheartedly with others’ comments regarding the need to keep the maple leaf in Canadian Pro Rodeo. In fact the whole of the old logo makes a much more positive image than the new blasé one which is a swirly piece of art with no identity in my opinion.
I agree the old logo is dated and needs to be cleaner, bolder, and more modern but this new one is not the change that logo needed.
I believe the old logo should be brought back. the logo was a way to define the CPRA brand, it was recognizable and defined our sport.
The original logo is the epitomy of Professional Rodeo in Canada.