Taylor Swift and the Toronto Sceptres

Image: Toronto Sceptres/Vevo

Designing logos can be a delicate balancing act. Sometimes, no matter how unique your approach is the result might unintentionally resemble something else. This is exactly what has happened with the Toronto Sceptres hockey team, as Swifties have pointed out striking similarities between their logo and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off cheerleader uniform.

In the 2014 music video, Swifty wears a varsity-style uniform with an intertwined T and S. Fast forward ten years, and the Toronto Sceptres’ logo features the same intertwined letters, a similar colour palette, and bold varsity-style lettering. Coincidence? Maybe.

Image: Getty Images

But as a designer when you’ve got to make a T and an S intertwine, you’re a bit low on options and the chances of looking like another version are very high.

This highlights a common challenge in logo design – how do you create something that feels fresh and original while working within the constraints of specific letters or styles? If the Sceptres’ logo used, say, a P and a T, the comparison wouldn’t be as obvious. But when the initials and even the style are so similar, comments are inevitable.

For now, with Toronto Sceptres and Taylor Swift there’s no indication of any legal drama (thankfully), and perhaps it’s best left that way. After all, even the best designers might struggle to create something entirely original with the same overlapping elements. Maybe the lesson here is to embrace the inspiration and hopefully Taylor Swift can just Shake it off.