Boise Hawks unveil new logo, new era

Idaho's renowned World Center for Birds of Prey houses a wide of variety of majestic winged creatures, including falcons, eagles, vultures and owls.

On Wednesday, the center received a visit from a different sort of bird entirely: the Boise Hawks. In a press conference held at the renowned aviary, the Northwest League franchise unveiled its new look to an audience of team supporters and local media.

In recent years, cutting-edge new logos and off-beat team names have caused the sales of Minor League team merchandise to skyrocket. While the Hawks are certainly not opposed to this phenomenon, the club was firm in its belief that the new logo should satisfy the local market first and foremost.

"We put a lot of thought into what we wanted," said Todd Rahr, the Hawks' president and general manager. "Our primary goal was to create something that would appeal to the people of Boise."

To that end, the Hawks' new logo is deeply evocative of the town in which they play. The team's classic red, white and blue look has been replaced by a color scheme that is specific to Idaho's capital.

Rahr calls these new colors "city of trees green," "deep brick red," "sunshine orange," and "muted-yellow corn silk." They refer, respectively, to Boise's lush forests, downtown area, high desert climate and agricultural heritage.

"Our market is represented, and that was the No. 1 goal," said Rahr. "For the lettering of our new uniforms, we went around the town and studied the street signs and businesses. Taking a serious look at our surroundings helped us bring new and old together."

Helping the team along with this endeavor was Plan B branding. The California-based "ideas company" also worked closely with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Florida State League franchise that unveiled its new team name and logo earlier this week.

"Plan B was great to work with," said Rahr. "They dive deep into brand development as opposed to just coming up with a few drawings."

In fact, the team's new look is part of a franchise-wide effort to upgrade the Hawks. In conjunction with the logo unveiling, the club will also be re-launching its website on Wednesday afternoon. Improvements are planned for Boise's Memorial Stadium, and a new, more youthful-looking mascot is currently under development.

"We're going through a lot of changes," said Rahr. "Basically, we're trying to get peoples attention by saying 'Hey, the Hawks are entering a new era.'"