It’s time to explore the St. Louis Cardinals logo and some history behind the baseball club.
Saint Louis is the home of baseball. The city hosts one of the most decorated sporting clubs in the world. Affectionately, the club is known by many as the Browns or the Cardinals.
Can you tell how these lovely names came about?
Brown Stockings was the original name of the club. From this came the label, Browns. During this period, white was the dominant color for the team’s outfit. In 1899, the club added a shade of red to their uniform. This color resembles the feathers on the cardinal bird, hence the name.
But who is the originator of the name that has been accepted and used for over 100 years? According to sportswriter Willie McHale, he overheard a female fan praise the color as a “lovely shade of cardinal.” Therefore, he called the team “The Cardinals.”
An attractive logo leads the Cardinals. It’s the most iconic logo in sporting history and the first in baseball. A red bird, a yellow bat, and a scripted wordmark are the graphic elements that give a distinct personality to the Cardinals logo. As a custom, the bird perched on a baseball bat.
The original Cardinals logo to represent the club was the famed interlocking initials—STL. This monogram logo appeared on sleeves and caps of uniforms. More so, today’s logo is a pitcher on multiple channels. It is on websites, billboards, television, and a host of other mediums.
Evolution of Saint Louis Cardinals Logo
The Saint Louis Cardinals have had many logos. This is not surprising for a club that has lived for close to twelve decades. Each updated logo represents a new phase for the club. Without wasting time, let’s follow the bird on the bat to its source of nesting and evolution.
This is the Cardinals Cap Logo
1900–1919
The Cardinals first and orifinal logo was unveiled in 1900. It came in solid red letters. These interlocking initials—STL stands for the city of Saint Louis. These typefaces have their ends extended and rounded. You’ll spot two white diamond signs on the letter—S. This stylized monogram logo served the team for nearly two decades.
1920–1921
The first logo updates took place in 1920: It lasted for less than two years. It was a wordmark displaying the inscription—St. Louis in caps and arc. The designer dressed the letters in red. This is one of the official colors of the Saint Louis Cardinals.
1922–1926
This period unveiled the cardinal birds. On a black bat, you’ll find two perched birds facing each other. Below the birds were the name of the club—Cardinals. And the point of attraction is how the letter—C hanged on the baseball bat. Both the wordmark and birds were colored in red. The birds looked more like cartoons. This logo ruled for almost five years.
1927–1947
For almost 20 years, the club opted for another logo. The designer kept the same graphic elements. He added more emotions to them. For instance, he mirrored the bat and gave it a silver color. The birds also grew more prominent, with shades of red and black feathers. The letter—C in the club’s name enjoyed some black outlines.
1948–1964
In 1948, the fourth update followed. The logo featured a silver baseball bat with the perched cardinals. Just like the 1922 emblem, the letter—C was hooked on the baseball bat. A closer look showed the birds wearing black crests. Here also, the letter—C kept its outlined preference.
1965–
Saint Louis Cardinals ushered in its sixth logo design. It came in a circular form. Inside this doubled frame was a single cardinal perched on a baseball bat. The bird kept its official red hue. But the baseball bat turned yellow. Behind the cardinal was a white baseball. In curved letters was the club’s name in bold.
1966 –1997
Same design style with a bit of twist. The logo featured the cardinal wearing a red baseball cap. Instead of left, the cardinal slightly faced forward. Also, the hue moved away from a darker to a lighter shade. This logo design reigned for nearly 31years.
1998 –
The team’s seventh logo update had some patterns from the previous designs. As usual, it featured a cardinal perched on a yellow bat. Also, the scripted wordmark hung on the bat below the bird. The contours of the bird and the wordmark were rendered in black outlines. The bird took on a red beak and yellow eyes.
1999–Now:
The current logo took a little bite from the previous one. A blue hue outlined the contours of the bird. And the same color outlines the club’s name—Cardinals. The bird’s eyes became white, accompanied by a yellow beak. The designer kept the scripted letterings.
What Font Are St. Louis Cardinals Using?
The artists who worked on the Cardinals logo understand the weight of fonts. They used bold and readable typefaces to evoke the club’s personality. The club has used different fonts to meet its changing needs. Yet two are dazzling in the team’s history. We can talk about the letterings used in the maiden logo. It paints memories of the Old English Alphabet. The second outstanding font in the current logo is a scripted font that looks like calligraphy handwriting.
Why Does St. Louis Cardinals Logo Work?
1. The Logo Is Recognizable:
Audience shouldn’t have a hard time decoding a logo’s message. With familiar graphic elements, the St. Louis Cardinals logo is highly noticeable. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find the attractive bird perched on a bat. This makes it convenient for fans to link the club to its sporting discipline.
2. The Logo Is Unique:
It’s always prudent to separate your identity from others. So keep away from conflicting your logo with other brands. The cardinals’ logo is exceptional. You’ll rarely find a similar one in the sporting world. Its choice of graphic elements is unique and attractive.
3. The Logo Is Modest:
The Saint Louis Cardinals logo is effective because it’s classic. The designer employed fewer design elements, making the logo simple. Secondly, the arrangement of the graphic features also makes the emblem clean and attractive. Simplicity is one essential basic requirement for logos.
4. The Logo Is Legible:
The club has kept a readable logo from the onset. It’s an essential hallmark for all logo designs. You can’t miss the calligraphy handwriting used in the Cardinals emblem. This is because the scripted typeface is bold, attractive, and readable.
5. The Logo Is Scalable:
The Cardinals logo is versatile. It has fewer elements of design that make its layout clean and adaptable. For having met this essential condition, the logo can scale on multiple channels with the least effort. Scalability makes it easy for logos to reach and interact with more people.
Saint Louis Cardinals Logo Design Elements
Saint Louis Cardinals have used memorable colors, symbols, and letters throughout their unique history. These identical graphic elements are a bird, bat, ball, cap, and beautiful colors. As we read on, let’s explore these design elements further.
Saint Louis Cardinals Logo Shape And Symbol
1. A Bird:
The most prominent element in the club’s logo is a bird. Apart from the first two emblems, the bird has featured in all the subsequent logos. This beautiful and brilliant songbird is the cardinal. Its bright reddish color shows that it’s a male cardinal. Native Americans associate cardinals with romance, unity, and freedom. They also represent devotion, courtship, and blessings.
2. A Ball:
Most people quickly identified the ball in the logo as a baseball. Like the bat, the baseball shows the club’s sporting passion. As a rounded object, it represents community, unity, and eternity. The white baseball showed on two emblems that served the team for about thirty–two years.
3. A Bat:
The baseball bat always goes hand–in–hand with the bird. Like the bird, it has featured in all the emblems except two. In the sports of baseball, it’s the device used to hit the ball after a pitcher has thrown it. As a graphic element in the logo, it links the club with its line of competition.
4. A-Cap:
The 1966 emblem featured a cardinal with a cap. The cap is a baseball type. A hat is a symbol of America. From athletes to presidents, you’ll find Americans wearing caps to tell their stories. Similarly, the baseball cap in the logo helps fans to identify the club with its sporting interest. For covering the head, a baseball cap represents power, respect, and authority.
Saint Louis Cardinals Logo Colors
1. Red Color:
I prefer to call the club’s logo—the Reddish. This is because it has featured the color of heat in all its designs. Red occupies a more significant portion of the team’s trademark. This official color of the club conveys passion, desire, and joy. The hue of fire is also a symbol of strength, courage, and leadership. With the latest logo, you’ll spot the color on the bird and the letterings.
2. White Color:
The club favored the use of white. It has remained a powerful and balancing color for almost all the logos. White became the focal point in the 1965 logo. It marked the personality of the baseball and the club’s name. White evokes goodness, purity, and safety. Also, the color of faith speaks of simplicity, cleanliness, and humility.
3. Yellow Color:
Yellow is another official color for the club. Initially, it was absent from the logo. Yet, after its unveiling, it became a favored color for the team. The color represents energy, loyalty, and honor. Yellow, the hue of sunlight, is a symbol of hope, clarity, and intellect. In the current logo, the bird’s beak and the wooden bat are rendered in yellow.
4. Silver Color:
The Cardinals used a silver color in two of their past logo designs. In both cases, the designer used the color to dress the wooden bats. Most experts linked the silver color to wealth and riches. The color represents kindness, elegance, and gracefulness. Also, it’s a symbol of mystic vision and tenderness.
5. Blue Color:
Blue was silent in all the previous designs. Luckily, the sky’s color found its way into the latest emblem. The designer used it to decorate the outline of the wordmark and the bird’s contours. Trust, wisdom, and stability are some potent emotions blue evokes. The sea’s color can also represent serenity, confidence, and freedom.
How Big Is the St. Louis Cardinals Club?
It’s not mere rhetoric that fans glorify the Cardinals as one of the most successful clubs in American history. From talents to titles, they have fascinated fans and left an unparalleled legacy. So it’s not surprising when people refer to them as the gateway to baseball excellence.
The club has produced Hornsby, Rickey, Musial, Pujols, La Russa, and other influential players. These guys had impacted games and inspired lots of youths worldwide. Today, the cardinals are still title contenders. You can never rule them out in any league season.
They have won 23 pennants, 14 division titles, and 11 World Series Championships. Also, they have bagged 6 Rookie of the years, 17 MVP winners, and 37 Hall of Famers. In March 2021, the cardinals ranked as the seventh-highest club among 30 MLB clubs.
The estimated value was $2.245 billion, according to Forbes. They have one of the most loyal fan bases in the league, enjoying some of the highest attendances. The club’s stadium has a capacity of 45,538. In terms of local TV ratings, they often ranked among the top three in MLB.
Brief History of St. Louis Cardinals
Based in St. Louis, the club has enjoyed nicknames like the Browns, the Perfectos, and the Cardinals. Saint Louis Cardinals is an American professional baseball club. It’s one of the oldest and most successful professional baseball teams in the country’s history.
In 1875, professional baseball started in St. Louis. This gave rise to the Brown Stockings in the National Association (NA). Shortly, the Browns joined the National League (NL) after the NA folded up. It became a charter member and placed third in the league at 45–19.
The National League expelled the Brown Stockings because of a match-fixing scandal. This happened after the 1877 league season. Afterward, the club went bankrupt. With no league, the Browns settled for a semi-professional baseball team. They played any interested team till 1881.
With no baseball team in the city, Al Spink, a sportswriter, became restless. He swayed Chris von der Ahe, a German entrepreneur, to buy St. Louis Stockings through persistent lobbying. Chris reorganized the team and made it a charter member of the American Association in 1882.
Following the 1883 season, the club adopted the nickname—the Browns. And two years later, they dominated the American Association league. They won four consecutive pennants under their manager, Charles Comiskey. It was from the 1885 to 1888 seasons.
After running for almost ten years, the American Association filed for bankruptcy. So, the Browns rejoined the National League. From 1892 to 1919, the Browns performed poorly. I want to point out that the club adopted the moniker Perfectos in 1899.
A novel outfit followed by the new name. The club added a scarlet of red to the team’s white uniform. After that season, Willie McHale, St. Louis Republic Sportswriter, made a startling revelation. According to the report, Willie overheard a lady made the remarks below:
“What a lovely shade of cardinal.”
Like Willie, fans also fell in love with the catchy name. To please the teeming fans, the club officials adopted the lady’s emotion—the Cardinals in 1900. However, this lovely name couldn’t revive the team’s abysmal showing on the pitch. Things turned around when they added Rogers.
Rogers Hornsby led the team to its first pennants in 38 years, winning the 1926 World Series in the process. Rogers had earlier claimed Triple Crowns in 1922 and 1925. The Cardinals won the league in 1928, 1930, and 1931. In 1931, they added the World Series as well.
The Cardinals entered their golden era with players like Marty Marion, Walker Cooper, Max Lanier, Mort Cooper, Stan Musial, Johnny Beazley, Red Schoendienst, Eno Slaughter, and Whitey Kurowski. With 960 wins, it was one of the most victorious periods in franchise history.
To the curious minds, this is just a brief account of the St. Louis Cardinals. After this golden era, the club continues to enjoy both winning and losing seasons till today. Looking at the club’s legacy, I’ll feel mortified without talking about the bankrollers of the team.
The Cardinals have had eight different owners. This includes Chris von der Ahe (1882–1889), Frank & Stanley Robison (1889–1911), and Helene Hathaway Britton (1911–1917). The others are Sam Breadon (1917–1947), Robert Hannegan (1947–1949), Fred Saigh (1947–1953), and Anheuser–Busch (1953–1995). Finally, William DeWitt, Jr. is the current owner since 1996.
Final Remarks on St. Louis Cardinals
Founded in 1882, St. Louis Cardinals have become synonymous with elite baseball. They play in the Major League Baseball (MLB) and are based in St. Louis. Originally called the Brown Stockings, the club has adopted names like the Browns, the Perfectos, and the Cardinals.
The first Cardinals logo was an interlocking initial. These letters came in red with two tiny diamonds on the letter—S. It was one of the simple and most attractive designs for the team. The bird’s–on–the–bat is the next iconic emblem to have represented the club.
The Cardinals have achieved a lot in the game of baseball. Their envious records show the work of talented players and managers. Winning 11 World Series, 14 divisional titles, and 23 pennants, among others, is not an easy attainment. In no time, they will add more to these laurels.
