Football player in an orange jersey and helmet runs with the ball against an orange background. The atmosphere is dynamic and intense.

Reimagining a classic logo for today's game

Project overview

Bucco Bruce is one of the most iconic marks in NFL history - a symbol with a cult-level following and decades of nostalgia among Buccaneers fans. For many, it represents a distinct era of the franchise, and its charm has only grown with time. As a big football fan myself, this project began simply for fun: a personal challenge to imagine what a refreshed version of this logo could look like today. Many NFL franchises have successfully done this over the years and I wanted to see if I could do the same. The goal was to keep the swagger and personality of the original while updating it for a more modern era. The challenge here was to preserve the character of the original Bucco Bruce while refining the forms, simplifying the overall linework, and giving the logo a clean, contemporary feel.

Role

Designer

Date

2025

Skills

Illustration

Branding

A sketch on a notebook shows a stylized face of a man with a bushy beard and hat. A pen lies beside it on a wooden surface, suggesting creativity.

A stylized pirate face in red on an orange background, featuring a feathered hat and knife in mouth, conveying a bold and adventurous tone.

Enhancing a retro look with a modern touch

To modernize such a beloved mark, I focused on understanding what made the original Bucco Bruce so memorable. The charm was in the confident expression, the flowing hat, and the unmistakable swagger. From there, the goal was to refine the silhouette, simplify the line work, and create a mark that would translate well across today’s digital and print environments. This meant tightening proportions, clarifying shapes, and reducing unnecessary detail while protecting the personality that fans connect with. Every decision was made to ensure the new version still felt undeniably “Bruce,” just with a sharper, cleaner presence that would comfortably sit alongside today's NFL lineup.

A football player in an orange uniform, helmet, and gloves leaps with a ball against a city backdrop. Bold orange text and dynamic energy are highlighted.

A modern tribute to a timeless buccaneer

This project was a refreshing return to sports-style branding, a space I haven’t explored in a while, and a challenge I genuinely enjoyed diving back into. Working on such an iconic logo made the process both fun and creatively rewarding, giving me the chance to flex creative muscles I don’t often get to use. In the end, the final mark achieves the exact balance I set out to strike: preserving the spirit and personality of the original Bucco Bruce while refining the forms into something cleaner, sharper, and more modern. Overall, I’m really pleased with how the design came together, striking the balance I hoped for without losing what fans love about the original. It was a satisfying project to tackle, and one that fully accomplished the goals of the redesign.

Festive geometric pattern with vibrant shapes and symbols, including stars, moons, and birds, set against a black background. The text "Happy Holidays" is displayed below, conveying a joyful holiday greeting.

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