Okay, so, I got this thing for logos, especially sports teams, you know? I find them super interesting and there’s always so much history and thought behind them. The other day, I decided to dive deep into the Charlotte Hornets logo. Yeah, that fierce-looking hornet we all know.
First, I started digging around for any info I could find on the logo’s history. I went through a bunch of websites and blogs. Some websites talked about how the team started way back in 1988 and even made it to the playoffs super early. Then, there was this whole thing about them moving to New Orleans and then coming back to Charlotte in 2014. Crazy, right?
Then I got into the actual logo. I learned that the name “Hornets” comes from this old story about Charlotte being a “hornet’s nest of rebellion” during the American Revolution. I thought that was a pretty cool tie-in. I spent some time sketching out the original logo and the current one on my notepad, just to get a feel for the design elements, to see how it had changed.
Here’s what I noticed:
- The very first logo had this cartoonish hornet, which they called Hugo. It’s funny because they ended up using Hugo as their main logo for a while!
- The second main logo, which they used after the team came back to Charlotte, is way more intense. It is a teal and purple hornet, and it’s facing forward, looking ready to attack. You can see the words “Charlotte Hornets” right on its body. I tried replicating this logo, too, focusing on getting the colors and the angry expression just right.
- There are these wings that are kinda above the head, with teal and purple. And of course, the stinger is super obvious, with a basketball pattern just above it. This part took me a while to draw, especially making the basketball pattern look decent.
I spent a good few hours just drawing and redrawing, trying to get all the details down. I messed up a lot, erased, started over, the usual. And let me tell you, drawing a symmetrical hornet is no joke! But, eventually, I got something I was pretty happy with. It’s not perfect, but it captures the spirit of the logo, I think.
This whole process was pretty fun. It made me appreciate the thought and history that goes into these logos. They’re not just random pictures, you know? They represent the team, the city, and a whole lot of history. I’m already thinking about which logo to tackle next. Maybe the Bulls? Or the Lakers? We’ll see!
