We didn't sell out—we bought in!
Before I get into why I like this logo so much, let’s let the internet take credit where it’s due:
From Wikipedia:
The Steelers logo was introduced in 1962 and is based on the “Steelmark,” originally designed by Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel and now owned by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). In fact, it was Cleveland-based Republic Steel that suggested the Steelers adopt the industry logo. It consists of the word “Steelers” surrounded by three astroids (hypocycloids of four cusps). The original meanings behind the astroids were, “Steel lightens your work, brightens your leisure, and widens your world.” Later, the colors came to represent the ingredients used in the steel-making process: yellow for coal, orange for iron ore, and blue for scrap steel.[24] While the formal Steelmark logo contains only the word “Steel,” the team was given permission to add “ers” in 1963 after a petition to AISI.
The Steelers are the only NFL team that puts its logo on only one side of the helmet (the right side). Longtime field and equipment manager Jack Hart was instructed to do this by Art Rooney as a test to see how the logo appeared on the gold helmets; however, its popularity led the team to leave it that way permanently.
I don’t know why, but I’ve always found that to be a cool story that demonstrates the sort of communal spirit that athletic teams generate, even if it was clearly a case on both sides of trying to align their respective identities with a perceived winner.
In any event, what I like about the Steelers’ logo is the anomalous use of color. What I mean by that is they use the red and blue sparingly, only appearing as accents within the context of the logo itself. They don’t otherwise appear as part of the uniform, which is consistently black and yellow. It actually gives the red and blue more visual weight by using them less. This is further emphasized by the logo only appearing on the right side of the helmet—the fact that it only appears on the one side throws the helmet off-kilter, but not in a bad way. It just makes you notice it more, and remember it longer, and seek out the reasons behind the decision (not the easiest thing to do when the information super-highway is just a twinkle in a nerd’s eye when you’re a little kid.)
Another aspect of the Steelers’ logo that I find very cool is the abstract symbolism of the astroids in the logo. They aren’t explicitly representational of the things they symbolize, which lends it an air of mystery. I remember thinking when I was growing up that the “stars” each represented one of the three rivers that intersected near the shores of downtown Pittsburgh, the Monongahela, the Allegheny, and the Ohio. It was a logical assumption, though incorrect. That being said, the cool thing about abstract symbolism is that it allows for such interpretations.
