Since 2013, when the company manufacturing the Reese’s candy took over the sponsorship, the Senior Bowl logo has been heavily influenced by the package design of the candy.
In the tapestry of American football, the Senior Bowl emerges as a distinguished thread, woven first into the sports fabric in 1950 by a Mobile, Alabama-based nonprofit. Born to support the Mobile Arts & Sports Association, this annual collegiate all-star game quickly ascended to a pivotal status within American football. The Senior Bowl has been instrumental in highlighting the talents of the nation’s cream-of-the-crop college football players. Its role in the NFL Draft is seminal, acting as a crucible where future professional stars are forged. The event boasts a remarkable history of participants who later achieve NFL greatness, including numerous first-round draft picks and Pro Bowl honorees. In its current avatar, the Senior Bowl transcends a mere game, emerging as an indispensable nexus for NFL hopefuls, offering a stage where their talents can shine before an audience of key NFL decision-makers.
What is Senior Bowl?
The Senior Bowl stands out as an elite collegiate football all-star match. It spotlights top-tier senior college football athletes and emerging NFL draft prospects from across the nation, divided into North and South teams. Beyond its role as a game, it’s a critical scouting ground, closely monitored by NFL talent scouts and coaching staffs, shaping the future of numerous NFL aspirants.
The first season of the Senior Bowl was held in 2007 under The Under Armour sponsorship. The logo was based on a rethought Raghu ball and two lines of inscription. It was a blue and white badge, with the sponsor’s logotype in the blue set above the red “Senior” in the same style. The inscription was accompanied by the Under Armour emblem in blue and white, set above it, and a smooth blue banner with the white “2007” datemark placed under the thin red frame of the lettering. It was a sharp and modern badge, which was used as a base for the following redesign.
The version, introduced in 2008, was made with a stronger accent on the “Senior Bowl” part. It was enlarged and redrawn in a massive square serif typeface, switching its color to white and the background to solid red. The Under Armour emblem was also changed, and now it was drawn in blue on a white background, right above the logotype of the brand. The datemark was removed and a red arched ribbon could now be seen in its place. The “Mobile, AL” inscription in whole serif letters was written over it.
The redesign of 2012 made things easier and simpler. The rugby ball and the sponsor’s logotype were removed from the badge, making the massive and brutal “Senior Bowl” logotype on a red arched banner the only element of the new insignia. It was still underlined by a smaller red badge with the same “Mobile, AL” inscription in all capitals of a smooth modern sans-serif typeface, with its while letters outlined in dark blue.
What similarities can we see between Reese’s package and the bowl game logo? To begin with, we can mention “Reese’s” wordmark, which is given in yellow handwriting-inspired font. Also, the logo is dominated by orange, which is the color of the package of the candy (although the shades are slightly different). Below the sponsor’s logo, you can see the arched lettering “Senior Bowl.” In the background, there is a large football.