The Guelph Storm, a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Guelph, Ontario, has used a funnel cloud character as the centerpiece of its visual identity since the 1997-98 season. The team’s current primary logo, introduced in 2018, is a modernization of that long-standing character rather than a complete departure from it.
Design and History
The Storm’s original logo, used from 1991 to 1997, depicted a storm cloud on a red triangle with the word “Storm” on top. In 1997, the team introduced the “Funnel Cloud” character that would remain the face of the franchise for over two decades. The team colors at that time were white, blue, grey and black before the club later switched to a crimson and white color scheme.[1]
On June 28, 2018, the Storm unveiled a new primary logo, marking the first change to the mark in over twenty years. The updated design keeps the funnel cloud character but rotates it so the storm now appears to come at the viewer head-on, rather than directing to the right as in the previous version. The team described this as a modernization rather than a completely new design, noting that the old logo with the funnel cloud was a significant part of the club’s identity in the community.[2]
The redesign was created by Keith Flynn of Flynnagain Productions, a Waterloo-based design firm. Flynn, who died in October 2018 shortly after the logo’s release, had previously designed logos for several sports franchises in Canada and the United States, including the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.[3] According to the team, Flynnagain Productions initially presented several concepts incorporating Guelph landmarks such as local churches and rivers, but the organization kept returning to the original storm character.[1]
The 2018 update also changed the wordmark. The full team name is now included on the logo, whereas previously the primary logo and jerseys only read “GUELPH” or “STORM” depending on the uniform.[4] The home and away jerseys differ in their treatment of the wordmark, with “Guelph” prominent on the crimson red road jerseys and “Storm” featured on the white home jerseys.[2]
In November 2024, the Storm launched their first alternate jersey in 15 years, introducing a new alternate logo. The design depicts a “G” inside a roundel with a lightning bolt stretching across and forming the crossbar, with “GUELPH” written above the bolt and “STORM” below. The alternate jersey also features a secondary shoulder logo: a stylized “S” with a lightning effect and a puck in the center. Both new logos were created by Keith Flynn of Flynnagain Productions during the 2017 redesign process.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The funnel cloud character has been the defining symbol of the Guelph Storm since 1997. The 2018 redesign rotated the character to face the viewer directly, a change the team framed as forcing opponents to “stare down” the storm. The organization promoted the new look with the hashtag #IAMTHESTORM on social media, suggesting a more aggressive, confrontational posture for the updated mark.[2]
The team’s color scheme is crimson, white and black, with silver used as an accent in some applications.[6] The crimson red road jerseys and white home jerseys have been a consistent part of the team’s uniform identity since the color scheme change.[2]
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