Los Angeles Chargers logo history
The Los Angeles Chargers introduced the current lightning-bolt treatment in 2020. It uses a gold bolt with a powder-blue edge and a clean curved shape. Earlier Chargers identities also used lightning, but the current mark strips away the shields, lettering and heavier outlines found in older designs.
Current Los Angeles Chargers logo vs. the old logo
New
Old
The original Los Angeles shield combines a horse head, a lightning bolt, the letters LA and the Chargers name. The current logo keeps only the bolt, making it a much simpler horizontal mark.
What does the Chargers lightning bolt represent?
The bolt is the visual shorthand for the Chargers name and appears prominently on the helmets. Its curved proportions follow the helmet’s side. A horse head also appeared in the team’s original shield emblem.
When did the Los Angeles Chargers start playing?
The Chargers began in Los Angeles in 1960 as an original AFL franchise, moved to San Diego in 1961 and returned to Los Angeles in 2017. The 2020 bolt update accompanied their first season at SoFi Stadium.
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