The ZSC Lions, a professional ice hockey club based in Zurich, Switzerland, have used a lion-based crest since the club’s founding in 1930. The current mark, introduced in 2021, is a refined version of the logo that has appeared on jerseys since the 1998/99 season.
Design and History
The club was founded on 15 October 1930, and the logo that adorned its first jerseys was also used as a signet for the club’s publications.[1] The official club history documents six distinct logo eras, beginning in 1930 and continuing through 1946, 1964, 1980, 1998, and 2021.[1]
Blue, white, and red first appeared on the cover of the club’s newsletter in October 1964.[1] The logo recognized as belonging to the “old” ZSC appeared in the club’s newsletter in February 1980.[1]
From the 1998/99 season, the familiar ZSC Lions logo was presented on the team’s jerseys.[1] This followed the 1997 merger of the Zürcher Schlittschuh Club with the ice hockey section of the Grasshoppers Club to form ZSC Lions.[1]
In 2021, the ZSC Lions and the other teams in the organization introduced a modified logo with a new, lighter shade of blue intended to give the logo more contrast.[2] The adjustments were made as part of an analysis and overhaul of the brand identity ahead of the team’s move to a new arena in Zurich-Altstetten.[2] The club describes the 2021 update as a gentle revision of the logos of the ZSC Lions and GCK Lions, with the youth and women’s logos now directly related to them and the ZSC Lions AG functioning as the umbrella brand.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s symbol is the lion, a reference to the “Lions” in the team name.[1] The official club colors are blue, white, and red, with navy blue also part of the Lions family’s traditional color scheme.[3]
Typography and Design
The 2021 redesign included several specific typographic and illustrative changes. The word “LIONS” was set in the font “Hurme,” and the lion illustration was made bolder through revised curves and stronger white contours.[2] The “ZSC” lettering received a navy blue outline.[2] The club later adopted “Hurme” as its corporate typeface, described as sporty, elegant, and bold.[3]
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