The boat logo

[Mike Hogan]

I wrote about why the logo means so much to so many, and what its future might be.

Enjoy

https://www.argonauts.ca/2019/09/17/hogan-boat-back/

[Will]

I was 1 year old when the Argos decided to change their uniforms after the 1988 season; therefore the only time I've seen the boat logo in action has been in 2013 and 2019. The jerseys that complemented the boat logo from 1976 to 1988 were among the nicest in team history. I believe that the 1981-1988 jersey was voted in the top 3 of all-time CFL jerseys in an article by Jim Mullin a few weeks back. It's funny, wearing my throwback Holloway jersey seems to get me more compliments at Tim Hortons Field as opposed to jeers. The older generation of Ticat fans seem to like that jersey too.

[Argo57]

The boat logo brings back many great memories at CNE Stadium and represents better times in Argo history.
The boat logo from the 1980’s looks great but I also like the slightly updated version that RJ uses on his posts.

[doubleblue]

Still my favourite. There are about 3 different varities of the Boat logo. I kind of like the one that is all light blue and says "argos" on the sail. Pull together above the sail.

[BATKINSON001]

Still my favourite. There are about 3 different varities of the Boat logo. I kind of like the one that is all light blue and says "argos" on the sail. Pull together above the sail.

That one is my favourite as well.

[lazycro]

Love the boat logo.... it's on the jersey I have too!

[Antwon]

I do like the current shield and ‘A’. The boat logo brings back memories! I was 15 and at the 83 eastern final…atmosphere was insane that day!
Even without any updates the boat logo looks awesome today! Hope to see it brought out in future seasons as well. (maybe the official alternate)

[paulwoods13]

The current shield is a good logo, but IMO the 1977-88 boat is the best logo we have ever had. I would not mind having the current one retained as a secondary logo, but would obviously love to see the boat become our main again. The old boat (early 1970s era) is a nice design, too, but IMO is too detailed and busy to be usable on uniforms or helmets. The "Jason" logo is also a good design (although the colours were wrong back then) and could be busted out on occasion as an alternate. The 1995-2004 look, despite the replacement of Cambridge Blue with "slate green," had some very nice elements, in particular the pant stripes with the "portholes."

[AngeloV]

Hated the Jason Logo. Boat logo is my favourite but also liked the A in the John Candy years. Uniforms in general were great.

[dmont]

Bleh! Hate the boat logo. Looks cartoonie, and honestly, poorly drawn. The updated version that the team uses for the Shipyard is a huge improvement, but still not my favorite.

Current logo and Rocket Ismail "A" are the best.

[ArgofanIan]

Hated the Jason Logo. Boat logo is my favourite but also liked the A in the John Candy years. Uniforms in general were great.

Same with me. I like the Boat and the old school A with out the Shield from the Leo Cahill days. I am really old school. I like to see both shades of blue. Funny no one mentioned the Harry Ornest version.

[AngeloV]

Funny no one mentioned the Harry Ornest version.

I half expected to see Phil Sims and Lawrence Taylor with those helmets.

[jerrym]

For me, it means pride in your team's history. It's not an accident that the Montreal Canadiens immediately introduce new team members to the team's deep history, partly through its symbols or that when Bob Ackles came back to the Lions he immediately had photos of past stars posted on the walls of their practice field building and used historic club symbols to help rebuild fan interest and attendance in a team whose attendance had dropped dramatically.

[Topshelf]

I hope they keep it, even if just for a handful of games each year. Every other sport has alternate uniforms. My Browns have 3.

[Golden Fleece]

Good article. I've mentioned my dislike of the boat logo recently, so this gives me a chance to expand on the reasons why. I was a big CFL fan growing up as a kid and sustained my interest through my early 20s before taking a break from sports fandom in general. My home team was the Stampeders and I stuck with them for years even after moving back to Ontario. Naturally I didn't like the Argos because they were the "big city" team every other team's fans love to hate. But that's not the reason I didn't like the logo.

Bottom line, the logo confused me. I didn't know what it was or what it represented. Of course it didn't help that I didn't really know what an Argonaut was (despite having a pretty good knowledge of Greek mythology--just never made the connection). By the time I moved to the GTA and decided to get behind the Argos the Jason logo was around. I liked it well enough and thought it evoked the Greek connection that I was now aware of. It seemed like an improvement over the big A which reminded me too much of Ottawa's big R. When the shield with the A replaced Jason, I felt like the team finally got it right with a nod to the big A logo but still underscoring the Jason and the Argonauts connection. Still, it wasn't something I would get passionate about to the point of arguing that it should remain the primary logo and the boat should only be revived for an annual throwback.

That is until my son, who I have raised as an Argos fan (you're welcome) walked into the living room while I was watching a game a week or two ago. He took one look at the logo and said, "What is that supposed to be?" Essentially the same reaction I had when I was his age. Which brings me back to the purpose of a logo. It's something that should be instantly recognizable and associated with the team. The Stampeders' horse. Hamilton's (gasp!) Tiger-cat. B.C.'s letters with roaring mountain lion. If I'm being honest, they are the 3 best logos in the league. The A and shield are actually right up there with them (although certain helmet combinations prevent it from standing out as much. In other words, a logo shouldn't take a lot of work for a fan to figure out. Something to keep in mind before the team plans any big changes to appease the most passionate members of its fan base.

[Stevoman]

Boat is a good secondary logo but still prefer the shield as the primary.

[paulwoods13]

That is until my son, who I have raised as an Argos fan (you're welcome) walked into the living room while I was watching a game a week or two ago. He took one look at the logo and said, "What is that supposed to be?" Essentially the same reaction I had when I was his age. Which brings me back to the purpose of a logo. It's something that should be instantly recognizable and associated with the team. The Stampeders' horse. Hamilton's (gasp!) Tiger-cat. B.C.'s letters with roaring mountain lion. If I'm being honest, they are the 3 best logos in the league. The A and shield are actually right up there with them (although certain helmet combinations prevent it from standing out as much. In other words, a logo shouldn't take a lot of work for a fan to figure out. Something to keep in mind before the team plans any big changes to appease the most passionate members of its fan base.

Interesting and valuable perspective. But if applying the standard that a logo should be instantly recognizable and associated with the team, how original is a block letter, or a block letter inside a shield/circle? There are a lot of those in football, including one (W) that is used by both the Blue Bombers and University of Washington. The boat logo was original and had something to do with the actual name of the team, as well as its original association with a rowing club. I never had any trouble perceiving the 1977-88 logo as a boat, altho I grant that it's stylized and that might not be apparent to everyone who saw it. The Jason logo IMO had less connection to the name than the boat logo -- just a generic gladiator, basically. (To be fair, I liked that logo well enough, especially compared to a gigantic A, apart from the wrong colours.)

[OV Argo]

Love the boat logo - not so much the current & former cartoonish one, but the older one with all the details (detailed ship, `pull together` + Toronto on it) is IMO the all-time greatest sports logo and fits the team name - as Paul has said, maybe too detailed to put on a helmet or uni, but could be used for marketing and on tees, caps, jerseys, etc..

IMO it is smart to have several looks - simpler boat logo, the A shield is nice, and i liked the Jason warrior logo too, plus the simple big A from way back (91 GC) too - why not have several looks on display on helmets and unis during the season, as well as maintaining various combos of the classic double blue look É

[Golden Fleece]

Interesting and valuable perspective. But if applying the standard that a logo should be instantly recognizable and associated with the team, how original is a block letter, or a block letter inside a shield/circle? There are a lot of those in football, including one (W) that is used by both the Blue Bombers and University of Washington. The boat logo was original and had something to do with the actual name of the team, as well as its original association with a rowing club. I never had any trouble perceiving the 1977-88 logo as a boat, altho I grant that it's stylized and that might not be apparent to everyone who saw it. The Jason logo IMO had less connection to the name than the boat logo -- just a generic gladiator, basically. (To be fair, I liked that logo well enough, especially compared to a gigantic A, apart from the wrong colours.)

I was surprised when Winnipeg went back to the old W. A little too generic. Thought the W with the lightning bolt football worked better. Generally not a fan of single letters on football helmets, although some iconic ones spring to mind like Alabama, Green Bay, and Chicago. A version of the boat logo might work better as a shoulder patch but done in all blue like the older one or the one I see on a member's profile here--RJ I think?

[Golden Fleece]

Love the boat logo - not so much the current & former cartoonish one, but the older one with all the details (detailed ship, `pull together` + Toronto on it) is IMO the all-time greatest sports logo and fits the team name - as Paul has said, maybe too detailed to put on a helmet or uni, but could be used for marketing and on tees, caps, jerseys, etc..

IMO it is smart to have several looks - simpler boat logo, the A shield is nice, and i liked the Jason warrior logo too, plus the simple big A from way back (91 GC) too - why not have several looks on display on helmets and unis during the season, as well as maintaining various combos of the classic double blue look É

That's an interesting thought too, but it does seem a little too NCAA in a way. I honestly don't know if that approach creates brand excitement or brand confusion, but I'm sure there are some people with marketing degrees that know the answer.