Ice Vikings Brand Identity: Building a Brand That United a Men's League Hockey Team
The Ice Vikings began as a men's league hockey team but quickly evolved into something much larger—a recognizable team identity that players were proud to wear both on and off the ice. My goal was to create a bold, memorable brand that captured the toughness, camaraderie, and humor that define recreational hockey while establishing a visual identity that could extend across uniforms, apparel, merchandise, and digital channels.
The result was a complete team brand centered around a custom Viking mascot that became the face of the organization.
A Personal Passion Project
The Ice Vikings brand holds a special place in my portfolio because it brought together two lifelong passions: hockey and design.
As a lifelong men's league hockey player, I've always admired the iconic identities that define professional sports teams. While studying graphic design in college, I dedicated my senior thesis to reimagining the Dallas Stars logo. From that moment on, I dreamed of one day creating a team identity of my own.
Years later, that opportunity became a reality when I was asked to brand the Ice Vikings—my own men's league hockey team.
Rather than creating just another hockey logo, I approached the project as I would for any professional sports organization. I developed a complete brand identity system that extended across the team's logo, home and away jerseys, apparel, merchandise, and social media. My goal was to create a brand that reflected the toughness, camaraderie, and personality of the team while giving players something they were genuinely proud to wear both on and off the ice.
“The Ice Vikings became more than a logo project—it was the realization of a creative goal I had been chasing since college. As a hockey player, coach, and Creative Director, seeing my teammates proudly wear a brand I created made this one of the most rewarding and personally meaningful projects of my career..”
— Scott Olason
The Challenge
Most men's league hockey teams rely on generic jerseys and clip-art logos that do little to build team identity.
I wanted to create a professional-quality sports brand that felt authentic and instantly recognizable while giving the team something players genuinely wanted to represent.
The objectives included:
Create a memorable team identity
Design a mascot with personality
Develop a flexible logo system
Create home and away uniforms
Extend the brand to apparel and merchandise
Build a recognizable social media presence
My Role: I was responsible for the complete creative vision and execution of the Ice Vikings brand, leading strategy, identity development, illustration, uniform design, and merchandise. The result was a cohesive sports branding system that strengthened the team's identity and created a recognizable brand players were proud to wear both on and off the ice.
Brand Strategy
The Ice Vikings identity combines traditional hockey culture with Scandinavian imagery.
Rather than creating another aggressive mascot, I wanted the Viking to communicate confidence, toughness, and personality while remaining approachable and memorable.
The identity was designed around several principles:
Bold geometric shapes
Strong silhouette
Clean vector illustration
High visibility on uniforms
Scalable for merchandise
Limited, memorable color palette
Logo Development
The Viking mascot was illustrated from scratch using bold vector shapes and simplified forms inspired by professional sports branding.
Design considerations included:
Recognizable from a distance
Embroidery-friendly
Strong helmet silhouette
Expressive facial features
Consistent line weight
Balanced color contrast
The circular shield element helps contain the logo while making it adaptable for uniforms, hats, social avatars, and merchandise.
Uniform Design
I developed a complete uniform system featuring coordinated home and away jerseys that balanced traditional hockey styling with a modern visual identity. Every detail—from the custom striping and color palette to logo placement and typography—was intentionally designed to create a cohesive, professional look that players were proud to wear on the ice.
Home Jersey
Screen printed
Away Jersey
Screen Printed
Brand Extension & Merchandise
A successful sports brand extends far beyond the jersey, creating a sense of identity that players and fans can embrace both on and off the ice. I designed the Ice Vikings brand as a flexible visual system that could be applied consistently across apparel, merchandise, and digital channels while maintaining a bold and recognizable personality.
From hats, T-shirts, hoodies, and decals to social media graphics and team communications, each application reinforced the team's culture through consistent typography, color, illustration, and playful messaging—including fan-favorite designs like the "Who's Got Beer?" T-shirt.
These extensions transformed the Ice Vikings from simply a men's league hockey team into a brand that strengthened camaraderie, celebrated the team's personality, and gave players a shared identity they were proud to represent.
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Team Shirt (front)
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Team Shirt (back)
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Baseball Cap
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Locker Room Shirt
Retro Player Cards
Inspired by the hockey cards I collected growing up, I created a series of vintage-style player cards featuring every member of the Ice Vikings roster. Combining custom photography with distressed textures, bold typography, and the team's visual identity, the cards became a fun tradition that celebrated each player while extending the brand in a unique and memorable way.
The project reinforced the idea that great brands create experiences, not just logos. By turning teammates into the stars of their own collectible cards, the Ice Vikings identity became something players connected with long after the final whistle.
Social Media
A cohesive social media presence helped bring the Ice Vikings brand to life outside the rink. Consistent use of the team's visual identity across announcements, game updates, and team communications created a unified experience that fostered pride, camaraderie, and recognition throughout the season.
Results & Why this Project Matters
The Ice Vikings identity became much more than a logo—it gave the team a recognizable brand that players proudly wore on the ice and around the rink. The flexible visual system extended seamlessly across uniforms, apparel, merchandise, and social media, creating a cohesive identity that strengthened team culture and camaraderie.
This project reflects my approach to creative leadership: building brands that go beyond logos to create experiences people connect with. By combining strategy, storytelling, and thoughtful design, I transformed a men's league hockey team into a recognizable brand that fostered pride, camaraderie, and a shared identity both on and off the ice.