Raptors Old Logo vs. New: A Practical Design Comparison
How the Toronto Raptors' original dinosaur logo compares with the claw-marked ball emblem: geometry, type, color, scalability, vector files and fit by use.
Contents
The short answer
In most comparisons, the old Raptors logo is the Toronto Raptors' original mid-1990s mark. It shows a red cartoon velociraptor dribbling a basketball, with jagged display lettering and a palette that leans on purple alongside red, black and silver. The new logo is usually the circular emblem introduced for the 2015–16 season. It drops the dinosaur and shows a basketball slashed by claw marks, enclosed in a roundel with the team name. In practical terms, the original is a character illustration with a lot of personality, and the current mark is a simplified badge built to stay consistent across sizes and media.
Some scope points matter for the comparison. A 2008 refresh sits between the two versions. It kept the dinosaur character but moved the palette away from purple toward red, black and silver. The current emblem's color treatment has also been adjusted since it launched. The G League affiliate, Raptors 905, uses its own separate identity. So the version that counts as "new" depends on the date of the reference you are comparing against.
About the evidence: no logo specimens, official style guides or test results were supplied for this comparison. The descriptions below draw on widely documented features of each mark and on general design principles. Exact hex values, proportions, letterforms and the team's stated reasons for the redesign are not covered here. Confirm them against official reference artwork, viewed at the same size and on the same background, before you rely on them.
Side-by-side differences
The table compares the original dinosaur mark with the current claw-ball emblem on the same criteria. Rows marked as expected are design-based predictions, not measured results.
| Criterion | Original dinosaur logo (1995) | Current claw-ball emblem (2015 onward) |
| Concept | Mascot character in motion, closely tied to the dinosaur craze of the mid-1990s | Abstract symbol: the ball and claw marks suggest a raptor without drawing one |
| Geometry | Irregular outline made of limbs, claws, teeth and ball, with no single enclosing shape | Enclosed circular form with a compact silhouette that reads as one unit |
| Interior detail | Many internal lines and small features | Few elements; the claw slashes are the main interior detail |
| Typography | Rough, jagged lettering that echoes the claws | Cleaner, more uniform lettering arranged with the emblem |
| Color | Purple-led palette with red, black and silver | Centered on red, black and silver; purple no longer in the primary mark |
| Small sizes (expected) | Fine details are likely to blur or fill in at icon sizes | Simple shapes are likely to stay legible |
| One-color versions (expected) | Harder to reduce without losing interior detail | Translates more directly to stamping, embroidery or single-ink print |
Geometry and silhouette
A silhouette is the outer shape a logo makes when it is filled in solid. The original logo's silhouette changes with the pose: arms, tail, claws and ball all stick out at different angles. That makes it energetic, but it is awkward to place in square or circular spaces such as social avatars, app icons and patches. The current emblem is a closed circle, so it fits those spaces without extra cropping or padding.
Typography
The original wordmark uses distressed, claw-like letter shapes that match the illustration, so the type and image read as one theatrical package. The current lettering is plainer and more regular. It gives up some character, but it is easier to set in consistent lockups. A lockup is a fixed arrangement of symbol and text that is always reproduced together. If exact letterforms matter for your project, compare them against official artwork, since unofficial redraws often change spacing and stroke weight.
Color
The clearest documented color change is the retirement of purple from the primary palette. It began with the 2008 refresh and continued in the current emblem. A common editorial reading is that purple ties the original logo strongly to its era, which is why it draws so much nostalgia, while the red, black and silver palette feels more neutral and more current. That reading is interpretation, not a documented team statement.
Scalability
Based on its simpler geometry, the current emblem should hold up better at small sizes and in one-color applications. No rendering tests were supplied to confirm this. To check it yourself, export both marks from vector sources and view them side by side at icon sizes such as 16, 32 and 64 pixels, in full color and in a single color, on light and dark backgrounds. Look for claw details or lettering that merge into blobs.
Vector editability
An SVG, EPS, AI or PDF extension does not prove that a file contains clean vector geometry. Open the file and inspect it. Things to look for:
- Whether shapes are true paths or an embedded bitmap image.
- Whether text is live type or converted to outlines.
- How many separate colors and gradients are used.
- Whether elements sit on sensible, editable layers.
- Whether there are stray points or overlapping duplicate shapes.
An illustrated mark like the original dinosaur usually needs many more paths and anchor points than a simplified emblem. That makes it slower to recolor or clean up, but this is a general expectation rather than a finding about any specific file.
Usage rights
Both logos are team trademarks. A downloadable file, whether it is the current emblem or a throwback version, does not give you permission to reuse it commercially or in merchandise. Editorial or commentary use is a different question from branded or commercial use. For anything beyond that, confirm rights with the rights holder before you publish or produce anything.
Which version fits your use
- Retro, historical or nostalgia content: use the original dinosaur logo, label its era, and keep the purple-led palette for accuracy.
- Current team references or present-day editorial graphics: use the current claw-ball emblem in its latest official color treatment.
- Small digital placements such as icons and avatars: the current emblem is the likely better fit, but confirm it with your own size test.
- Redesign case studies: compare all three stages (1995 original, 2008 refresh, current emblem) so the color shift and the move from character to symbol are both visible.
In editorial terms, the redesign trades a distinctive, era-defining character for a compact symbol that is easier to reproduce consistently. Which one is better depends on the job: the old mark wins on personality and nostalgia, and the new one wins on versatility.