The Bakersfield Condors are an American Hockey League (AHL) franchise based in Bakersfield, California, owned by and affiliated with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. The team’s current visual identity dates to April 2, 2015, when the club unveiled a new primary logo ahead of its first AHL season in 2015-16. The mark was introduced at an event at the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.[1]
Design and History
When the Edmonton Oilers relocated their AHL franchise from Oklahoma City to Bakersfield for the 2015-16 season, the team name remained the Bakersfield Condors, continuing a name with deep roots in the community. The Condors name had been used by the city’s previous ECHL/WCHL franchise since 1998.[2] The AHL franchise itself was a relocation of the Oklahoma City Barons.[3]
The 2015 primary logo was described by the team as “a modern, updated version of the condor which has been featured as the primary logo for each of the team’s 17 seasons.” Key changes included the condor now having orange skin to strengthen the association with the Oilers brand, the removal of the circle that previously surrounded the Condors wordmark, and a white hockey stick with orange tape to help the stick stand out from the condor itself.[1]
The official colors were announced as “Oilers Royal Blue and Orange with the addition of Dark Grey.”[1] The recoloring aligned the Condors with their NHL parent club, which owned the franchise through the Oilers Entertainment Group.[2]
A secondary logo was revealed later that summer alongside the team’s home and road jerseys.[1] The alternate mark features a condor talon clutching an orange oil drop from the Edmonton Oilers’ primary logo, a design that connects the two clubs. The Oilers’ primary logo also appears as a shoulder patch on the Condors jerseys.[4]
For the 2018-19 season, the primary logo was recolored to a darker navy blue and brighter orange to match the then-new colors adopted by the Edmonton Oilers.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2015 redesign was explicitly intended to unite the Condors with the Oilers organization. Condors Team President Matthew Riley said the new logo was “dynamic, fierce, and incorporates our new blue and orange color scheme,” allowing the team to further its established brand while uniting with the Oilers.[1] Edmonton Oilers Assistant General Manager Bill Scott echoed this, calling the blue and orange “bold and vivid” and a symbol of the team’s importance to the Oilers’ long-term success.[1]
The secondary logo’s condor talon gripping the Oilers’ oil drop was described by team officials as “a perfect combination of the two clubs,” connecting the Condors to their NHL affiliate in a single mark.[4]
Typography and Design
The Condors wordmark was retained in the 2015 redesign, though the circular element that previously surrounded it was permanently removed.[1] The primary mark depicts a condor perched on a hockey stick above the team name.[5] No specific design agency or individual designer has been publicly credited for the 2015 logo in available sources.
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