The Los Angeles Clippers, a prominent professional basketball team in the NBA, has seen several logo changes throughout its history, reflecting its various relocations and identity shifts.

Meaning and History

The team was originally founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves in Buffalo, New York. After relocating to San Diego in 1978, the team changed its name to the San Diego Clippers, and later, in 1984, moved to Los Angeles, becoming the Los Angeles Clippers. Over the years, the logo has evolved in line with these changes, with the basketball motif being central to the design.

Los Angeles Clippers Logo Evolution

• 1970 – 1971: The team’s first logo as the Buffalo Braves featured a stylized “B” with a feather design, reflecting Native American influences.
• 1971 – 1978: A redesigned logo kept the feather motif, but in a more refined style, using a red, white, and blue palette.
• 1978 – 1982: The San Diego Clippers introduced a new, geometric logo with triangular sails and a red sun, symbolizing energy and movement, with the name "San Diego" subtly placed along the bottom.
• 1982 – 1984: A more sporty logo was introduced, featuring a red and white contoured basketball with blue text and red stripes, emphasizing movement and dynamism.
• 1984 – 2010: When the team moved to Los Angeles, the logo was updated to reflect the new location. The ball design remained, but the "San Diego" was replaced with "Los Angeles," and horizontal stripes were removed for a cleaner look.
• 2010 – 2015: The 2010 redesign introduced darker shades of blue and red, giving the logo a more professional appearance, with an italicized and bolder wordmark.
• 2015 – 2024: A major redesign in 2015 gave the logo a modern and bold feel, with a stylized white basketball in a black outline, featuring the “CLA” monogram. The design included playful blue and red horizontal lines above and below the wordmark.
• 2024 – Today: The current logo features a maritime steering wheel at the center, symbolizing direction and leadership. This is surrounded by curved basketball lines, reinforcing the team's identity. The color scheme of red, white, and blue is bold and reflects American sports pride. The stars and placement of “Los Angeles” and “Clippers” in a circular emblem give the design balance and strength.

Font and Colors

The font used in the Clippers’ logos has evolved with each redesign. The current logo features a custom sans-serif typeface with rounded angles and clean cuts. The previous logos used variations of the Baskerville Old Serial Heavy font.

The color palette has consistently included red, white, and blue, with black added in 2015 for a more modern feel. Silver is also an official color, though it's subtle in the logo itself. The specific color codes are:

• Red: Pantone 186 (#C8102E)
• Blue: Pantone 7687 (#1D428A)
• Black: (#000000)
• Silver: Pantone Cool Gray 5 (#BEC0C2)

Each iteration of the Clippers' logo has reflected the team’s identity, from its early days in Buffalo to its current status in Los Angeles. The design has continuously evolved, combining elements of energy, strength, and American pride.