The new Cleveland Browns logo has a ridiculous number of hidden meanings

A good logo design for a sports team needs to accomplish a lot. It has to be simple enough to work across an array of merchandise, it needs to convey a team's history and, ideally it should please fans. Somehow the new Cleveland Browns logo has achieved that while packing in a whole kennel full of hidden references.

Keeping fans happy is often the most difficult thing to achieve with sports team logos, as we've seen in numerous controversies in recent years. The NFL's Cleveland Browns aimed to overcome that by letting fans choose their new canine logo. The fans in the Dawg Pound have spoken, and they've opted for a design with close to a dozen hidden references that might go unnoticed among those not familiar with the American football team. Can you spot them all? (Also see our piece on the best sports logos for more inspiration).

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

Read more
Four of the best NBA logos: the Charlotte Hornets logo, Golden State Warriors logo, Chicago Bulls logo and Los Angeles Lakers logo on a red and blue gradient background
The best NBA logos: 10 basketball teams that nailed branding
Selection of MLB logos
The best MLB logos – 8 iconic designs from the world of professional baseball
Super Bowl
That outrageous Super Bowl logo conspiracy theory just won't go away
NBA logo
The NBA logo: a history
Five of the best logos of the 2010s
The best logos of the 2010s
Toronto Raptors logo containing Indigenous-inspired art
The new special Toronto Raptors logo is packed with symbolic meaning
Latest in Logos & Icons
Microsoft To Do
People have some Very Strong Opinions on the Microsoft To Do icons
Clippers logos old vs new
New LA Clippers logo is an instant classic
WLCO logo design
This hip neighbourhood's logo is totally loopy, but I love it
The superman logo as based on a potential design from Superman: Legacy
Possible new Superman logo divides fans
Lyle's Golden Syrup and Lyles Black Treacle tins showing the lion logo
Lyle's apologises for its Golden Syrup logo redesign as even the church expresses dismay
Steve Jobs and the Google logo
Apparently Steve Jobs hated the Google logo on his iPhone
Latest in News
Render showing design for new Manchester United stadium
Manchester United's new stadium design is getting some unfortunate comparisons
Shot of AI augmented A Different World
Netflix's AI 'fix' turned an 80s sitcom into a horror movie
Screenshots from KFC Original Fake Games
KFC takes a bite out of annoying fake game ads and turns them into real games
Tesla Cybertruck
Why some Tesla owners are covering up the logo
Magnum billboards on a roadside
Magnum abducts our radio waves with ingenious sonic branding ad
Korean Air new logo in use
Korean Air has rebranded for first time since the '80s