If you’ve looked at the 2025 Super Bowl logo lately, you might think it’s just another corporate graphic. You'd be wrong. For the first time in basically forever, the NFL actually let some soul into the building.
Look, we all remember the "silver era." From 2011 to 2021, the logos were—to put it nicely—boring. They were these metallic, rigid things that looked like they were designed by a law firm. But things shifted. This year, for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the league went somewhere they’ve never gone before. They didn't just hire a big-shot agency in New York. They called a local legend.
The Artist Behind the Beads: Tahj Williams
Her name is Tahj Williams, but around New Orleans, people know her as "Queen Tahj." She is the Big Queen of the Golden Eagles, a Black Masking Indian tribe.
If you aren't familiar with Black Masking culture, it’s a deep, centuries-old tradition in the Crescent City. It’s about heritage, resistance, and incredible artistry. Queen Tahj didn't just draw this logo on a tablet; she literally handcrafted it. The 2025 Super Bowl logo is based on intricate beadwork, the same kind she uses to create her massive, stunning suits for Mardi Gras and Super Sunday.
Why the beading matters
The NFL says she "painstakingly built" the design. Think about that for a second. In an era of AI-generated everything, the biggest sporting event in the world is using a logo born from hand-sewn beads.
The Roman numerals—LIX—aren't just flat colors. They are filled with red, green, and gold patterns. These aren't random. They mimic the wrought-iron balconies you see in the French Quarter. They incorporate the fleur-de-lis, which is basically the DNA of New Orleans.
🔗 Read more: What Time Does LSU Play on Saturday: Tigers vs. Mizzou Tipoff Details
It’s vibrant. It’s loud. It’s "kinda" messy in the best way possible because it feels human.
Breaking Down the Colors (and the Conspiracy Theories)
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the "script."
Every year, the internet loses its collective mind over the colors of the Super Bowl logo. There’s this theory that the NFL "leaks" the Super Bowl matchup through the logo colors. For a while, it was spooky.
- Super Bowl LVI: Orange and yellow (Bengals vs. Rams).
- Super Bowl LVII: Red and green (Chiefs vs. Eagles).
So, naturally, when people saw the 2025 Super Bowl logo featured bright red and neon-ish lime green, the rumors started flying. Is it the Chiefs vs. the Eagles again? Does the red mean the 49ers?
Honestly? Even the NFL’s own creative directors laugh at this. Alex Mount, an NFL creative director, has gone on record saying these designs are in the works for two years before the game happens. They aren't psychics. They're just designers trying to match the vibe of the host city.
✨ Don't miss: The 2025 SEC Championship: How Georgia Reclaimed the Throne in Atlanta
The red and green in the LIX logo aren't about specific teams. They are "Mardi Gras colors" through the lens of Black Masking culture. It’s about the energy of Bourbon Street and the tradition of the tribes.
Why This Logo Is a Massive Win for Fans
For a decade, fans complained that the Super Bowl lost its "flavor." We missed the days of the 90s when the logos had personality. Remember the Super Bowl XXX logo with the Arizona turquoise? Or XXXI with the Mardi Gras mask?
The 2025 design is a return to that. It keeps the Lombardi Trophy as the centerpiece—the NFL isn't going to give up its branding entirely—but it allows the host city to breathe.
What makes it different from 2024?
Last year in Vegas, the logo was all about the "bright lights" and the desert. It was cool, but it felt a bit "touristy." The 2025 logo feels local.
It’s the first time the NFL has ever credited a local artist for the primary mark. That’s a huge deal. It’s a shift from seeing the Super Bowl as a traveling circus that lands in a city, to an event that actually belongs to the people living there.
Actionable Takeaways for the Super Bowl LIX Season
If you're heading to New Orleans or just watching the game on February 9, 2026, keep an eye on how this art is used. It’s not just on the 50-yard line.
- Look for the "Theme Art": Beyond the main logo, Queen Tahj created a whole series of "theme art." This will be on the digital tickets and the official program. It features even bolder colors—pinks and chartreuses.
- Visit the Hyatt Regency: If you're in the city, there’s a massive display of this artwork on the exterior of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.
- Support Local: The logo is part of a larger push by the NFL to involve over 200 local businesses in the "procurement program."
The 2025 Super Bowl logo is more than a marketing asset. It’s a handcrafted piece of New Orleans history that managed to survive the corporate blender of the NFL. Whether the "color conspiracy" comes true or not, the real win is that the league finally remembered that football is better when it has a little soul.
Check the official NFL style guides if you want to see the high-res versions of the beadwork—the detail is actually insane when you zoom in.