The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based at Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, Connecticut. The team’s visual identity was created and designed by Dom Alessandro of A-W Design, who previously designed logos for Danbury’s earlier professional teams, including the Trashers, Whalers, and Titans.[1][2]
Design and History
The Hat Tricks brand was unveiled at the team’s inaugural launch press conference on May 3, 2019.[3] Alessandro described being involved from day one in the initial ideation, noting that the group explored 12 different names before settling on “Hat Tricks” and crafting the Rabbit logo.[2]
The team developed a set of nine unique logo marks.[3] The Rabbit Head logo is worn on the front of the home black and road white jerseys, while a “Disappearing D” logo appears on the shoulders.[1] The team also introduced three jerseys (black, white, and orange), with only the black jersey featuring the team’s official logo as its front crest. The orange jersey features a “Tricks” spell-out crest.[4]
The name “Hat Tricks” was chosen to connect to both the city of Danbury and the game of hockey. From 1884 to 1985, the site of Danbury Ice Arena was home to hat manufacturing companies, including the Foster Brothers Hatting & Mill and the New Hat Company.[1][3] The team also cites the origin of the hockey term “hat trick,” which dates to a 1946 bet between Chicago Blackhawks player Alex Kaleta and Sammy Taft of Taft’s hat store in Toronto.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The primary logo features a tough-looking, stick-wielding rabbit with a chipped tooth.[5] The rabbit design adds a third layer to the team’s name, referencing the magician’s version of a “hat trick,” which often involves pulling a rabbit out of a top hat.[5] Alessandro noted that the rabbit facing forward has a chipped tooth, while the sideways view does not.[3]
Five diamonds appear in the logo set, representing Diamond Properties (the arena ownership group) and the five previous professional teams in Danbury: the Trashers, Stars, Mad Hatters, Whalers, and Titans.[1][3] The five diamonds appear on the “Top Hat D” mark.[4]
Typography and Design
Alessandro is a Danbury resident who studied Communication Design at Syracuse University. He began his career at The Schechter Group in New York City and later worked at the branding agencies Landor and Interbrand before partnering to launch Alessandro/Weber Design (AW Design) in 2000.[2] The logo and jersey designs were credited to Dominick Allesandro of AW-Design of New York City in the team’s jersey unveiling announcement.[4]
The team’s color scheme is orange, gray, black, and white.[6] The Hat Tricks youth hockey program also plays under the team’s black-and-orange color scheme.[7]
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