My Thoughts: Johnny Canuck

Hello once again!  Today I'm going to talk about my favourite team the Vancouver Canucks, specifically their full-body Johnny Canuck logo.

Image from instagram.com/canucksstore

Back in November the Canucks released a green fashion with Johnny Canuck as the main logo.  Even though I love the colour green, I wasn't a big fan of the jersey.  The striping gets a bit muddled where green touches blue, the collar looks weird with no blue, and the logo is too small and too high.  But the jersey did get me thinking about Johnny Canuck's potential as Vancouver's primary logo.

As a Canucks fan I love the idea of Johnny Canuck as the primary logo.  There is a nice history behind the logo, it's an updated version of the logo used by the WHL's Vancouver Canucks (who were a predecessor to the NHL team).  The current Canucks have also made Johnny Canuck a bigger part of their brand recently, by partnering with a Johnny Canuck impersonator who makes cool videos (that impersonator now makes videos that appear on the jumbotron at Canucks games).

That being said, I still have some doubts about the Johnny Canuck logo (you might notice that in both my NHL De-Edge Series and NHL Redesign Series the primary logo was the stick-in-the-rink).  It is a bit cartoony, and it's irregular shape can look odd on some applications.  However, my doubts are fading more and more everyday, and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that Johnny Canuck should be the main logo.  But there is one change I think the Canucks should make before they promote it to the primary...

And that change has to do with the outline around the logo.  With the thin silver outline the Canucks currently use, the logo gets lost a bit on dark backgrounds.  I'd much prefer a thicker white outline, which I believe really helps the logo stand out.

That wouldn't be the only change I'd make to the Canucks brand though, I'd also retire some of their other logos.

Actually the only other logo I'd keep would be the stick-in-the-rink.  I think it's perfectly suited to be a secondary logo, and it looks great on the shoulders and pants of the Canucks current uniforms.  On the other hand I'm not a big fan of the Johnny-V logo, I've always thought it was awkward how the head was attached to the V and it's also too similar to the logo used by Vachon Inc.  Another logo I don't like is the orca logo, it just doesn't really represent the team name and it's corporate origins don't sit well with me (the logo debuted when the Canucks were owned by Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment).  The last logo I'd get rid of is the Millionaires-V logo, I don't mind it on the Millionaires throwback jersey but I think it's too primitive to work as a full time logo today.

If the Canucks were to switch logos, I'd also want them to update their uniforms.

For the most part I really like the Canucks current uniforms, so I just made some small changes like adding green to the collars, altering the thickness of some stripes, and using a block font (and of course replacing the orca with Johnny Canuck).  Another reason I only made small changes is that the Canucks have had a major identity problem over the years, and I feel it's time for them to establish a consistent look.

So those are my thoughts on the Johnny Canuck and the Canucks brand overall.  If you have any thoughts on this topic, feel free to share them in the comments.

Enjoy the rest of your day!