The Utah Jazz logo history exemplifies how a team can successfully refine its visual identity by revisiting its roots. Over the decades, the team has undergone several logo redesigns, ultimately returning to its original aesthetic with contemporary updates.

1974 – 1979

The team’s first logo, designed for the New Orleans Jazz, featured a purple wordmark with a stylized “J.” The letter’s circular element resembled a basketball in purple, yellow, and green with white accents. Above the wordmark, the phrase “New Orleans” appeared in italicized black capitals.

1979 – 1996

After relocating to Utah in 1979, the team retained its original logo, simply swapping the “New Orleans” text for “Utah.” This continuity made the emblem recognizable across the country.

1996 – 2004

The 1996 redesign introduced a new emblem featuring a light brown circle with a depiction of blue-and-white mountains. A custom, diagonal “Jazz” wordmark, rendered in two shades of blue and outlined in white and yellow, was placed over the badge.

2004 – 2010

The logo was refined in 2004, with stronger contours and a darker, more balanced color scheme. A deep blue circle with purple and white mountains complemented a light blue and white wordmark, creating a confident and modern design.

2010 – 2016

The team adopted a new color palette of blue, green, white, and yellow accents in 2010. Cleaner, modernized contours enhanced the design’s style and professionalism, resulting in a sleek and impactful badge.

2016 – 2022

In 2016, the Jazz revisited their original logo, updating the stylized “Jazz” lettering with a fresh palette of blue, green, and yellow. The “Utah” wordmark was italicized and narrowed, maintaining a modern and dynamic feel.

2022 – Today

The current logo introduces a black basketball with bold, intersecting lines, embodying the sport’s essence. A stylized “J” integrates into the basketball, symbolizing fluidity and the rhythm of jazz music. Beneath the emblem, the words “UTAH JAZZ” appear in a bold, straightforward typeface, grounding the design with clarity and strength.

Font

The “Jazz” wordmark is a unique custom type, while “Utah” employs a clean sans-serif font.

Colors

The current logo simplifies the color scheme, using navy blue, green, and gold with white accents for a clean and modern aesthetic:

• Navy: HEX #002B5C
• Green: HEX #00471B
• Yellow: HEX #F9A01B