30/32 – Denver Avengers
Kings of the Hill
We crack the 30-team mark with the Denver Avengers – playing in the Canyon Division of the West Conference.
The Avengers' defense is one of the toughest in recent league history. In Season 26, this team was in charge of a 61-3 blowout over Charlotte in the Ultimate Championship, making a statement with the largest margin of victory in any game to date. The dominance didn't stop there – their defensive tackle took the league by storm setting the season sack record that earned a deserved MVP award. Nothing lasts forever though – Denver has had division rival Salt Lake slowly building and creeping up in their rear view mirror.
Visual Direction
Another quirky team, the Denver Avengers were named purely for the assonance. Recently, the team has leaned in to the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep as a visual focus. Being the state animal of Colorado, the big horn sheep is notorious for its aggressive head-butting exhibited when competing for leadership or dominance hierarchy within the herd. The challengers engage in collisions at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.
As the city of Denver emerged in the 90s as a budding spot for a sports franchise (and since the Denver Avengers are a relatively newer UFL team), this team adopts a 90s-inspired aesthetic. Denver's color scheme is spotlighted by a shade of aquamarine, the state gem of Colorado, paired with black and silver.
Execution
The primary logo for the Avengers depicts a charging bighorn sheep, its head turned down and eyes focused ahead as it prepares for collision. Its neck and jaw are defined by jagged linework that demonstrates energy and references the jagged terrain of the nearby Rocky Mountains – a common visual reference for many of the designs in the team's graphic suite.
In the secondary spot is a "D" for "Denver", pulled directly from the team's wordmark. It's used as a container shape of sorts, housing an illustrated landscape of the horns from the primary logo paired with a snow-capped mountain range – visually tying the mascot to the city is represents.
The Avengers also have a tertiary logo of an "A" pulled from the "Avengers" wordmark. The "A" also sports mountain-like characteristics with the jagged linework on the left stem of the letterform.
This team implements some expressive team typography. It's built at a 30-degree italic angle to compliment the energy evoked from the stylized primary logo. There are also small spurs on select letterforms to reinforce that aspect. Additionally, the type features accentuated points in the "A", "V", and "G" that break the baseline and cap height that again calls back to the mountainous terrain of the local area. Both city name "Denver" and team name "Avengers" wordmarks of the same style are included in the team's graphic package.
The horns themselves were the source of inspiration for the team's jersey number set. Numbers like the "2", "3", and "5" incorporate swooping curves that terminate at a point, not unlike those seen on the head of the state animal. Its general construction, paired with a thick drop shadow, give off a very 90s-style appeal.
Mile-High Mayhem
The Denver Avengers now have a reinforced visual identity and a robust graphic package as this team looks to remain kings of the hill in the West.
Football Helmet Mockup by SportsTemplates
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