THUNDER BAY – The Superior International Junior Hockey League will celebrate its 20th anniversary season with a new look.
The junior A circuit on Wednesday unveiled a new logo, league commissioner Darrin Nicholas saying now is as good a time as ever to make the change, which is why they invited graphic designers associated with the league and its teams to create a new one.
“The historic SIJHL logo has served the league well throughout the design's inception,” Nicholas said in a release.
“The board of governors felt that the league has amassed a pretty impressive stable of graphic artists associated with our league and teams, and the feeling was that it was a worthwhile endeavour to invite these individuals to put their creativity to work and submit conceptual ideas for a league re-brand.”
The winning design was created by Steve Cramsie, who does work for the Wisconsin Lumberjacks. It features a bold SIJHL emblazoned across a shield that incorporates both the stars and stripes from the American flag and the maple leaf from Canada's.
“With the breadth of concepts submitted, it really covered the whole spectrum. What emerged was a consensus on a design we felt would pay homage to our past but also properly represent our league as we head into our third decade,” Nicholas said.
“We think Steve scored a hat trick with this final design, which preserves the history of our league, captures where we are right now and gives us branding that will accurately represent our league and what it stands for into the future.”
Cramsie said he wanted to create a logo that would compete with logos associated with all the top junior leagues in North America, while still retaining a connection with the SIJHL's past.
“I approached the design process for the new logo like I would for any sports league at this level, in that I wanted to create a look for this design that wouldn’t look out of place within a professional sports league. I think I was able to accomplish that while still incorporating the familiar Canada/US theme throughout. The elements of the previous logo have been maintained, but I think the new design elevates the look to a new level,” he said.
The logo has also been incorporated into a special 20th anniversary design which will be used throughout the upcoming 2021-22 campaign.
The SIJHL has yet to release a schedule for the season, but has promised more announcements in the weeks to come.
