The Minnesota Timberwolves logo stands as one of professional basketball’s most recognizable brand marks, representing the NBA franchise based in Minneapolis.
The team began play in 1989 and has used four primary logos since, each shifting the look of its wolf. The current logo, unveiled on April 11, 2017 and designed by Rodney Richardson of RARE Design, shows a howling wolf in a circular badge with a basketball, the North Star and a custom wordmark.
The Timberwolves play in the NBA’s Western Conference Northwest Division at Target Center, their home since 1990.
What is the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo?
The Minnesota Timberwolves logo is a circular badge showing a howling gray wolf against a blue basketball, with a green North Star and the team name around the edge. Rodney Richardson of RARE Design created it after about 12 months of work, and the team unveiled it on April 11, 2017.
| Symbol | A howling wolf and a four-pointed North Star on a basketball, inside a circle |
| Designer/agency | Rodney Richardson, RARE Design (Mississippi) |
| Current version since | Unveiled April 11, 2017, worn from the 2017–18 season |
| Colors (hex) | Midnight Blue #0C2340, Lake Blue #236192, Aurora Green #78BE20, Moonlight Grey #9EA2A2, Frost White #FFFFFF (widely cited) |
| Typeface | Custom sans-serif wordmark with a “Team Rune” A; no named font published |
| Previous major version | 2008–2017 snarling gray wolf and pine trees |
How Has the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Evolved Over Time?
The Timberwolves have used four primary logos since 1989. The name itself came from a public vote: “Timberwolves” beat “Polars” by nearly two to one, and the name became official on January 23, 1987.
Original Minnesota Timberwolves Logo (1989-1996)
The first logo shows a blue-and-white wolf’s head in front of a basketball, with “Minnesota” in green script above a bold “TIMBERWOLVES” wordmark. The team picked it through a public contest that drew over 2,600 entries, and Mark Thompson of Austin, Minnesota, designed the winning entry.
The team says it was unveiled on September 17, 1987, on a $20,000 check donated to the United Way. President Bob Stein called the wolf “aggressive, but not sinister.” The retro palette is often listed as blue #24429C and green #1CA64C with silver.
Second Minnesota Timberwolves Logo (1996-2008)
Unveiled at the Mall of America on May 18, 1996, the second logo shows a ferocious snarling wolf in front of a row of pine trees. The Los Angeles-based Mednick Design Group designed it, and black joined the palette along with a metallic look.
Third Minnesota Timberwolves Logo (2008-2017)
For the franchise’s 20th season, the team refreshed the logo with help from Adidas. The wolf gained a white accent on its face, and the trees and lettering became sleeker. A secondary logo of a wolf howling at the moon with a basketball behind it debuted in 2008-09.
Current Minnesota Timberwolves Logo (2017-Present)
The current logo drops the trees and the snarl. A forward-facing wolf howls upward inside a circle, next to the North Star, and the wordmark features the Team Rune “A.” Richardson developed it over about 12 months with ownership, team executives and the NBA.
The team announced it at halftime of its last home game of the 2016–17 season. It is described as an evolution of past logos.
What Does the Old Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Look Like?
The old Timberwolves logos fall into three groups. The 1989–1996 logo is a blue wolf in front of a basketball with green script. The 1996–2008 logo is a snarling wolf over pine trees with a darker palette. The 2008–2017 logo is the same idea with a white face marking and lighter trees.
What Do the Design Elements of the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Mean?
The wolf is shown howling. The team says a howl helps hold a pack together and can warn outsiders or rally the pack, which fits the idea of a home court and a team that stays together.
The basketball behind the wolf brings back an idea from the first logo, creating continuity across the decades.
Why Did Minnesota Timberwolves Choose These Specific Colors?
The team says the palette keeps its blue and green heritage but in fresher shades inspired by Minnesota’s landscape. Richardson called it “color with a sense of place.” The colors are Midnight Blue, Lake Blue, Aurora Green, Moonlight Grey and Frost White, which the team links to the northern lights, a midnight forest and the frozen north.
Midnight Blue (#0C2340). The darkest color and the main background. It creates strong contrast with the lighter shapes.
Lake Blue (#236192). The blue of the basketball. The name echoes Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes” nickname, though the team has not said so.
Aurora Green (#78BE20). This bright green appears in the North Star and a flash on the wolf, which makes it the focal point of the mark.
Moonlight Grey (#9EA2A2). The wolf’s body and the ring around it.
What Are the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Colors?
The hex values above come from Team Color Codes, which pairs them with Pantone 289 C (Midnight Blue), 647 C (Lake Blue), 368 C (Aurora Green) and 422 C (Moonlight Grey). The Timberwolves’ own history page names the five colors but gives no codes in the pages I could open, so treat the numbers as widely cited and approximate. Between 1996 and 2017 the logo used a different palette that included a darker green (about #00843D), silver and black.
What Font Is Used in the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo?
The Timberwolves wordmark is a custom sans-serif and the team has not named a font. The team says the 2017 wordmark features the “Team Rune A,” a letter A drawn without a crossbar, like an inverted V. In the wordmark, “MINNESOTA” is set in widely spaced capitals above a heavier “TIMBERWOLVES.”
The team’s number font on its jerseys is also custom, and I could not confirm a name for it. If you need a look-alike, a clean geometric sans-serif in bold capitals comes close, but it will not include the rune A.
The same typography is used across jerseys, court and merchandise. The earlier 1996–2017 wordmarks used a sharper, spikier style, set in a different look from today’s cleaner letters.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo?
The North Star stands for Minnesota’s place in the north and for the team following “true north,” according to the team’s announcement. Minnesota’s state motto is “L’Étoile du Nord,” which means “Star of the North,” so the link is easy to read even where the team does not spell it out.
The howling wolf and the rune “A” are the other deliberate details. There are no confirmed further hidden meanings.
How Does the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
The Timberwolves logo sits within a group of NBA teams using animal marks, including the Memphis Grizzlies logo, Milwaukee Bucks logo, Chicago Bulls logo and Toronto Raptors logo.
Unlike those, the Wolves put the animal in a circular badge with a basketball and a star, a more compact emblem than a standalone head.
The color scheme of blue and bright green distinguishes them from typical red-and-blue NBA palettes.
Among Northwest Division rivals, the Denver Nuggets logo and Portland Trail Blazers logo use abstract geometric designs, while the Oklahoma City Thunder logo and Utah Jazz logo take different approaches again.
What Cultural Impact Has the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Had?
The 2017 logo was introduced with a video that paid homage to the franchise’s history and featured Minneapolis hip-hop artists Slug, P.O.S and Prof.
Fans debated it, as they do with any rebrand. It arrived before the team ended a playoff drought in 2018 and is now the logo they associate with the team’s recent seasons.
The simplified badge works well as a social media avatar and app icon, and it appears across the court, uniforms and merchandise.
How Does the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The logo is the cornerstone of the team’s visual system, which also covers uniforms, court design, digital assets and marketing materials. The same color palette and wolf imagery run through the secondary marks and the wordmark, giving the brand a consistent look.
The team’s brand guidelines are not public.
How Should the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo Be Used?
The following is generic advice, not the team’s own rules.
The Timberwolves logo is a registered trademark, so commercial use needs a license through the team and the NBA. Editorial and commentary use is treated differently from selling merchandise.
If you reproduce it, use a sharp vector graphics file, keep the proportions, and avoid stretching or recoloring. Remember that screens use RGB while print uses CMYK, so the bright green may shift in print.
FAQ on the Minnesota Timberwolves Logo
When was the Minnesota Timberwolves logo created?
The current logo was unveiled on April 11, 2017, and used from the 2017–18 season. The first logo was unveiled in 1987, before the team’s 1989 debut.
Who designed the Minnesota Timberwolves logo?
Rodney Richardson of RARE Design designed the current logo. Mark Thompson of Austin, Minnesota, designed the original 1989 logo, and the Mednick Design Group designed the 1996 version.
What do the colors in the Minnesota Timberwolves logo mean?
The team says the palette is inspired by Minnesota’s landscape, including the northern lights, a midnight forest and the frozen north. Richardson called it “color with a sense of place.”
What are the Timberwolves colors and hex codes?
The commonly cited values are Midnight Blue #0C2340, Lake Blue #236192, Aurora Green #78BE20, Moonlight Grey #9EA2A2 and Frost White #FFFFFF.
What was the old Minnesota Timberwolves logo?
The 1989–1996 logo was a blue wolf in front of a basketball. The 1996–2008 and 2008–2017 logos show a snarling gray-and-black wolf over pine trees.
What font does the Timberwolves logo use?
It is a custom sans-serif wordmark with no published font name. The 2017 version includes the team’s “Team Rune A,” drawn without a crossbar.
What is the Timberwolves number font?
The team’s jersey numbers use custom lettering, and no named font has been published.
Why is the North Star in the Timberwolves logo?
The star represents Minnesota’s North and the team following “true north,” and it matches the state’s “Star of the North” motto.
How many times has the Timberwolves logo been redesigned?
The team has used four primary logos: 1989, 1996, 2008 and 2017, so it has changed three times.
Why are they called the Timberwolves?
The name was chosen in a public vote in late 1986. “Timberwolves” beat “Polars” by nearly two to one and became official in January 1987.
Conclusion
The Minnesota Timberwolves logo applies sound logo design principles to sports branding, combining regional symbolism with a contemporary look.
From Mark Thompson’s original 1989 design through the Mednick Design Group’s 1996 wolf to Rodney Richardson’s 2017 badge, each version balanced team identity with design trends of its time.
The 2017 logo brings the howling wolf, the North Star, the basketball and a Minnesota-inspired color palette into one circular mark.
Within the wider group of NBA logos, it stands out for its color and compact badge shape.
If you liked this article about the Minnesota Timberwolves logo, you should check out this article about the Sacramento Kings logo.
There are also similar articles discussing the Dallas Mavericks logo, the Washington Wizards logo, the Atlanta Hawks logo, and the Brooklyn Nets logo.
And let’s not forget about articles on the New York Knicks logo, the Orlando Magic logo, the Denver Nuggets logo, and the Los Angeles Lakers logo.
Sources
- Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA.com), How Minnesota’s Team Became the Timberwolves – https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/history
- NBA.com, Minnesota Timberwolves new logo unveiled for 2017-18 season – https://www.nba.com/news/minnesota-timberwolves-new-logo-unveiled-2017-18-season
- Wikipedia, Minnesota Timberwolves – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Timberwolves
- Team Color Codes, Minnesota Timberwolves Color Codes – https://teamcolorcodes.com/minnesota-timberwolves-color-codes/
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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