The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of Canada’s most venerable sports teams, so it’s equally fitting that the logo that defines the club, the Toronto Maple Leafs logo, is just as long-standing and recognizable. Its impact, reinforced by almost 100 years of use, has only increased with time, and while there have been minor redesigns, most recently in 2016, the logo has a closer connection with the heritage of the team, the city, and the country it calls home, than many of its competitors.

Given the unshakeable presence of the Maple Leafs’ logo, it’s worth examining exactly why it has stuck around, when so many other sports teams have ditched or dramatically revised their branding. Here’s a look at what makes it such a meaningful and recognizable piece of graphic design.

The Historic Significance

The first appearance of the logo dates back to 1927, when Conn Smythe bought the team previously known as the Toronto St. Patricks and gave it a major rebrand, adding the Maple Leafs name and the green logo with white lettering to go along with it. What’s even more significant about this change is that Canada didn’t adopt the maple leaf as a symbol on the national flag until 1965, meaning that its use by Toronto’s ice hockey team predates its official recognition by almost three decades.

The green color scheme only stuck for a season, as in 1928 the main hue was changed to blue, and this remained in place for a further 10 years. 1939 saw the first major overhaul, with the typography changing and the addition of veins on the leaf’s surface. Then in 1964  a white border was added to the leaf, before a simplified logo design arrived in 1968. Variations on this theme, with a more angular and symmetrical design, persisted until 2016, at which point the current iteration arrived, complete with cues hinting at the team’s Stanley Cup triumphs and other easter eggs.

So, the simplest answer as to why the logo still holds strong after a century is that all of this history connects it closely to fans of all ages, and it’s that tradition which continues to serve other historic logos from the world of advertising, like that of Coca-Cola and Heinz.

The Visual Clarity

You could never accuse the Maple Leafs’ logo of being too busy. And in fact, it’s the blue and white color scheme that’s stuck around more than any other element over generational redesigns.

As well as being simple and high-contrast, the color scheme connects with ice hockey itself, with blue and white as a nod to the playing surface and the clear winter skies under which many Canadians enjoy amateur hockey.

Moreover, the clear visuals of the logo lend themselves well to all manner of media appearances, whether that’s on TV broadcasts or viewed on smartphone screens. So, for example, when a Canadian fan decides to look for sports betting here to back their home team in a big game, they’ll easily be able to spot the Maple Leafs logo on many reputable platforms, rather than having to read everything to find what they’re looking for. That’s equally powerful in the social media era, since a logo that is identifiable when squeezed down to the smallest size as a profile picture or onscreen icon works best.

Escaping Design Fads

Another asset the Maple Leafs logo brings to the table is the easy-to-see, hard-to-define concept of timelessness, achieved mainly by dint of the team resisting the urge to deploy any kind of major makeover to its branding during the past 100 years. So, while other teams chased design fads, especially during the 1980s and 90s when the introduction of computer aided design gave access to a variety of new tools and trends, the Maple Leafs were far more iterative and subtle.

In turn, when the decision to roll back the clock to a design inspired by its early logos was made in 2016, it didn’t feel like a sudden, jarring smash-cut that destroyed the visual identity of the brand. Rather, because not a huge amount had changed and the color scheme in particular was identical, the club’s supporters could welcome the rebrand rather than feeling alienated by it.

Engaging with National Pride

As mentioned, Canada’s adoption of the maple leaf as its main symbol didn’t happen until the 1960s, although this was an unofficial source of national pride for a long time beforehand, as evidenced by the Maple Leafs logo. And because of this link, there’s a sense in which the Maple Leafs are able to stand out as a team for the nation as a whole, not just for the city of Toronto that they call home.

There might be other clubs in the NHL also based in Canada, and yet if the Maple Leafs are taking on a team from the US, they’re more likely to get support from the wider population. This connection with the country’s national symbol might have happened partly by chance, but it’s a big reason why the team also didn’t choose to change the logo design in a dramatic way as the decades rolled by.

Even though the Montreal Canadiens have won more Stanley Cups than the Toronto Maple Leafs, the pride the logo inspires in all Canadians cannot be underestimated. It’s a lesson in good design being driven by emotion as much as by basic principles like proportion and color choice.

Setting Expectations High

Last but not least, the fact that the Maple Leafs’ current logo harks back to past glories also points to the club’s future. With the 13 veins at the top of the leaf signifying the 13 Stanley Cups the team has won, whenever fans see the logo, they’re reminded of the glory of the past and infused with a little hope for the future as a result.

These high expectations might not have borne fruit for a long time, but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ logo will continue to endure as long as the principles it represents and the design ethos that has helped it survive for the past century remain relevant.