[History] The Visual Identity of the Los Angeles Rams

Title: The Evolution of the Los Angeles Rams’ Visual Identity

The Los Angeles Rams, a professional American football team, have a rich history that dates back to 1936. Their visual identity, including their logo and uniforms, has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting the team’s journey through different cities, eras, and styles. This article explores the development of the Rams’ visual identity from their inception to the present day.

The Cleveland Rams (1936-1945)

The Rams franchise was established in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams. The team’s initial logo was a simple design featuring a blue ram’s head on a yellow background. The colors were chosen to represent the city of Cleveland and its hardworking, blue-collar ethos. The ram was chosen as the team’s mascot due to its toughness and determination, traits that the team aimed to embody on the field.

The Los Angeles Rams (1946-1994)

In 1946, the franchise moved to Los Angeles, becoming the first professional football team on the West Coast. The team’s visual identity underwent significant changes to reflect its new home. The logo was updated to feature a more stylized ram’s head, and the team’s colors were changed to royal blue and gold, reflecting the sunny skies and sandy beaches of California.

In 1950, the Rams became the first NFL team to feature a logo on their helmets – a pair of golden ram horns. This design element quickly became iconic and has remained a constant feature of the team’s helmets ever since.

The St. Louis Rams (1995-2015)

In 1995, the Rams moved again, this time to St. Louis. With this move came another change in visual identity. The logo was redesigned to feature a more aggressive-looking ram, and the team’s colors were changed to navy blue and gold. The new design aimed to reflect the team’s aggressive playing style and the city’s industrial heritage.

The team’s uniforms also underwent changes, with the ram horns on the helmet becoming more stylized and the introduction of new jersey designs featuring more prominent use of gold.

Return to Los Angeles and New Identity (2016-Present)

In 2016, the Rams returned to Los Angeles. To mark this homecoming, the team decided to update its visual identity once again. In 2020, they unveiled a new logo and color scheme. The new logo features a stylized ram’s head in a modern design, with the letters “LA” incorporated into the design. The team’s colors were updated to “Rams Royal” blue and “Sol” yellow, a nod to their previous stint in Los Angeles.

The team’s uniforms were also updated, with the iconic ram horns on the helmet now in a gradient of yellow and white. The jerseys feature a modern design with segmented numbers, a design element that is unique to the Rams.

Conclusion

The visual identity of the Los Angeles Rams has evolved significantly over the years, reflecting the team’s journey through different cities and eras. Each change has been carefully designed to represent the team’s ethos and its connection to its home city. Despite these changes, certain elements, such as the iconic ram horns on the helmet, have remained constant, serving as a link to the team’s rich history and tradition.