Review: Philadelphia Spinners (MLU)

Part of the series critiquing the professional Ultimate team logos and nicknames.

Team: Philadelphia Spinners

Web: http://philadelphia.spinners.mlultimate.com/ // twitter: @phillyspinners

Representation: City // League: MLU

Disc within logo?: No. // Ultimate element in team name?: Yes.

Background: See the 2012 review & their logo transition, plus MLU's team name rationale.

First impression(s): A rejected version of a Superman logo. The DNA-squiggly "S" also looks like the ribbon used in rhythmic gymnastics.

Eli's Eval: I would never want one of my throws to follow that path, but the "S" tornado is nicely rendered and consistent in its execution if not relying a bit too heavily on the gradients. I think "S" would look better as flat color, and would stand out well from across the line as a letter.

The arced bottom of the word "Spinners" is good enough. The MLU seems to favor the shield/badge look for their logos, which helps the overall identity be cohesive from team to team. The arc of the top and sides of the badge combined with the slightly bowed vertical stripe in the background give the badge an odd sense of depth, making the the "spinner" S seem like it is floating in a false space, and that the edge of the badge is more of a window than a flat object. The designer should have picked a space and stuck with it.

There is not a whole lot to love here but they didn't screw it up. The three stars, carried over from the previous tornado logo, are so small as to be completely disregarded, and should have been left out of the design or added to the top - one each to flank "Philadelphia" and one for the center on top.

:Eli's Grades:
Grade: B
On Logo: B
On Typography: B+

Thoughts on this MLU's team name & logo?