Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys began play in 1960 and did not look exactly how you would expect. Their inaugural uniforms were a simple navy and white scheme. White helmets with a single navy star on each side, a double navy stripe down the center, and grey facemasks were placed above white or navy jerseys with contrasting shoulder yokes and stars. Both the white and navy jerseys were paired with white pants featuring the same navy double-stripe down each leg. Those navy-and-white duds would last four seasons, after which the team would introduce silver helmets, new jerseys with a contrasting triple-stripe on each sleeve, and a pair or two-tone silver pants with a standard silver on the front, and a blue-silver on the back. Over the course of the 1966 and 1967 seasons, the Cowboys introduced new double-striped jerseys and socks. Through the next decade, the blue on the jerseys would veer from navy to royal, black outlines would be added to the sleeve stripes, and the pants would become one shade of blue-silver distinct from the standard silver-and-navy helmets. All of these quirks were done in an effort to compensate for the inaccuracies of color TV. More inconsistencies arrived in 1981 when the team unveiled a rebooted navy and silver dark away uniform. The new uniform matched the helmets better, but it was rarely worn. The pants of the home white uniforms would also continue to change over the 1980s as the two-tone returned briefly before being replaced with a green-silver. By the end of the decade, Dallas had two distinct uniforms. A home uniform with a silver and navy helmet, a white jersey with royal numbers and black trim, and green-silver pants with royal and white striping complemented a navy-jerseyed away uniform that stayed true to the helmet colors. During the 1990s, the team would experiment with an alternate set of uniforms with the new star on each shoulder that combined the current branding with the style of the inaugural set, in addition to tweaking their navy jerseys by adding the logo to the sleeves against a single silver stripe outlined in white. Dallas would wear the inaugural navy-jerseyed uniforms as a throwback from 2004 through 2012, and unveiled a rebirth of the 1990s alternate jerseys as the Color Rush alternate in 2015. Over the past couple seasons the team has also started mixing and matching elements, wearing white pants with their navy jerseys. My Dallas Cowboys redesign works to build one identity system that applies across the entire brand instead of a hodgepodge or colors and elements. Regarding the colors, I used a two-tone effect to pay homage to the many successful eras of Cowboys history while embracing the glamour Jerry Jones has instilled in the franchise. The final color palette combines both navy and royal as well as two shades of silver that play well with each other. The primary logo features a caricature of a cowboy against a beveled star above a western slab serif typeface. The alternate logo keeps the iconic star, but with a beveled 3-D effect. A two-tone slab serif D and the classic star logo complete the logo set. While the typeface has a simple appearance for most applications, a fancier two-tone version is used for the jersey numbers. The helmets opt for the team’s proprietary green-silver to differentiate from other teams and adds a navy double-stripe and facemask. The home white jerseys feature a simple navy double-stripe on each sleeve and the alternate logo just under the collar. The two-tone numbers adds a splash of glamour to an otherwise restrained set. The white jerseys can pair with green-silver or white pants. The navy away jerseys follow the lead set by their white counterparts with a simple green-silver double-stripe on each sleeve and two-toned numbers. The navy away jerseys pair with either green-silver or navy pants. The alternates opt for royal jerseys and pair with green-silver or white pants, while the throwbacks return to the days or Roger Staubach with all of the small inconsistencies that have made the Cowboys unique.