Paul Janus - Logo and Uniforms

Logo and Uniforms

In choosing the team name, the Richardsons did not run focus groups with potential fans. The Richardsons had always intended to name their team the 'Panthers' and did not hide this intention; Jerry Richardson had begun driving a car with the license plate 'PNTHRS' near the end of 1989. By the time they had been announced as the 29th NFL team, the Panthers' logo and helmet design had already been finalized, but the uniform design was still under creation. After discussion, the Panthers organization decided on jerseys colored white, black, and blue, and pants colored white and silver; the exact tone of blue, which they determined would be "process blue" (a shade lighter than Duke's and darker than North Carolina's), was the most difficult to determine. The team's uniform has rarely changed since their creation, and the changes that have been made are mostly minor ones, such as changing the sock color of the team's black uniforms from blue to black and changing the team's shoes from white to black. Team owner Jerry Richardson, a self-described traditionalist, has said that no major uniform changes will be made in his lifetime; the Panthers did, however, change their logo and logotype in 2012, the first such change in team history. According to the Panthers, the new logo was designed to modernize their old logo and give it a more "aggressive, contemporary look", as well as to give it a more three-dimensional feel.

The team's second logomark, used from 1996 to 2011. The current team logomark, which has been in use since 2012.

The Panthers have three main jersey colors: black, white, and blue. Their blue uniforms, designated their alternate uniforms, are the newest, having been introduced in 2002. The Panthers combined their regular black uniforms with black pants for the first time against the Denver Broncos in 2012, creating an all-black uniform, with the exception of blue socks and silver helmets. The decision to wear blue socks was made by team captain Steve Smith, who felt the blue socks gave the uniforms a more distinct appearance in comparison to other all-black uniforms. The team's uniform did not change much after Nike became the NFL's jersey suppliers in 2012, but the collar of the uniforms was altered to honor former Panthers player and coach Sam Mills by featuring the phrase "Keep Pounding". Nike had presented this idea to the Panthers organization, who approved it; the team appreciated this idea, as they wanted newer fans to gain a greater understanding of the legacy Mills, who died of cancer of 2005, left behind. Mills had introduced the phrase, which has since become a team slogan, in a speech to the team prior to their 2003 playoff game against Dallas; in the speech, Mills reconciled his fight against cancer with the team's on-field battle, saying "When I found out I had cancer, there were two things I could do – quit or keep pounding. I'm a fighter. I kept pounding. You're fighters, too. Keep pounding!"