The Rapaces de Gap, the professional ice hockey club based in Gap, France, unveiled its current visual identity in September 2010. The emblem was introduced as a more professional evolution of the previous logo, which had been in use for eight years.[1]
Design and History
The new logo was publicly revealed on 11 September 2010 during the club’s official team presentation evening at the Quattro, the main performance venue in Gap.[1] The redesign was described as a “more pro” evolution of the previous crest, which had been in place since 2003.[1][2]
The 2010 mark was designed and produced by Sébastien Jarry of Le Design Sporting Club.[1] The club also introduced a new colour code in blue, grey and black, which was preferred over an alternative yellow and blue version. The team colours on jerseys and most merchandise did not change.[1] The identity was declined into three additional alternative logos, including a “serres” (talons) version.[3]
The redesign was tied to a new dynamic for the club, linked to the construction of a new ice rink, which was considered essential for the club’s structuring.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s nickname history explains the raptor motif. In the 1980s, an eagle appeared in the club’s logo, and players from Gap were quickly nicknamed the “Aigles Bleus” (Blue Eagles). The team became known as “Rapaces” (raptors) from the 2000s onward, while keeping an eagle in the logo.[2]
According to the club’s own presentation of the 2010 redesign, the designers wanted to keep the same charter with the names of the club and the city, the club’s creation date, the mountains, and of course the eagle’s head.[2] The previous logo, dating from 2003, was already intended to be identitarian for the region with the presence of mountains.[2]
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