How to Draw the Minnesota Vikings Logo Without It Looking Like a Cartoon

You've probably tried to doodle it on a notebook or a napkin during a boring meeting. It looks easy enough, right? A guy with a mustache and a horn. But then you start sketching and suddenly the proportions are all wrong, the mustache looks like a croissant, and the "Norsemanship" just isn't there. Honestly, the Minnesota Vikings logo is one of the most deceptive designs in the NFL because it relies on very specific, sharp angles that define its aggression.

The "Norseman" isn't just a mascot. It’s a piece of branding history designed by Karl Hubenthal back in the 60s. If you want to get it right, you have to stop thinking about it as a face and start thinking about it as a series of interlocking blades.

The Anatomy of the Norseman

Most people fail because they start with the eye. Don't do that. The secret to how to draw the Minnesota Vikings logo is the "sweeping V" shape formed by the top of the helmet and the bridge of the nose. If that angle is off by even five degrees, the whole thing looks like a sad caricature instead of a fierce warrior.

The logo underwent a slight "modernization" in 2013. Most fans didn't even notice. But as an artist, you have to. They thickened the lines and adjusted the horn shape to make it pop better on digital screens. The gold is brighter. The purple is deeper.

Start with the Golden Horn

The horn is the anchor. It’s basically a curved triangle, but it has a specific "weight" to it. You want to draw a shape that mimics a crescent moon but with a flat base where it attaches to the helmet.

1. Sketch a light baseline for the helmet's tilt. The Vikings logo is always at an aggressive forward lean.
2. Draft the horn with two distinct segments. The base is thick. The tip is sharp.
3. Notice the "break" between the horn and the purple helmet. There is a thin sliver of white space there that provides contrast.

If you make the horn too vertical, he looks surprised. Too horizontal? He looks like he’s taking a nap. Aim for a 45-degree angle relative to the "ground" of the page.

👉 See also: Tottenham vs FC Barcelona: Why This Matchup Still Matters in 2026

Getting the Face Shape Right

Here’s where it gets tricky. The Norseman has a very distinct jawline. Or rather, he doesn't have a chin—he has a mustache. The mustache is the jawline. It’s a heavy, downward-sloping shape that terminates in a sharp point.

When you're figuring out how to draw the Minnesota Vikings logo, remember the hair. The hair flows out from under the helmet in two main "chunks." These aren't random. They follow the curve of the helmet and provide the balance for the heavy horn on the other side.

Think of the lines as being wind-swept. This guy is on a longship in the North Sea. His hair shouldn't look like it was done at a salon; it should look heavy and thick.

The Eye of the Viking

The eye is just a small, slanted line. It's almost a "greater than" symbol ($>$). It’s tucked right under the brow of the helmet. Don't draw a pupil. Don't draw an eyelid. It’s a shadow. That shadow is what gives the logo its intensity.

If you look at the official style guide, that eye line is perfectly parallel to the bridge of the nose. It's those little geometric echoes that make the professional logo look "correct" and your sketch look "off."

✨ Don't miss: Buddy Hield Sacramento Kings: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes

The 2013 Refinements You Need to Know

In 2013, the Vikings worked with Nike and the NFL creative team to sharpen the Norseman. They removed the grey outline that existed in the 90s and early 2000s. Now, it’s just Purple (PMS 268), Gold (PMS 1235), and White.

• The Horn Tip: It used to be a bit rounded. Now it's a literal point.
• The Mustache: They shortened the "tail" of the mustache slightly to make the logo more compact.
• The Line Weight: The black outlines were thickened to ensure the logo didn't "disappear" when shrunk down for Twitter avatars or mobile apps.

When you're coloring this in, the purple is non-negotiable. It’s a royal purple with a heavy blue base. If you use a reddish-purple, it looks like a high school knockoff.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I see this all the time: people make the helmet too round. The Vikings helmet is actually quite flat on top. It’s a dome, sure, but a squashed one. If you draw a perfect circle for the head, you’re already in trouble.

Another big one? The braids. The logo has a braid that hangs down. It’s not just a squiggle. It’s a series of overlapping oval shapes. Count them. There are usually three distinct "bumps" in the braid before it tapers off.

Also, watch the "nose." It's not a nose. It's a visor. The purple part of the helmet extends down to cover the bridge of the nose. There should be no skin tone visible there—just the white of the face and the purple of the gear.

🔗 Read more: Why the March Madness 2022 Bracket Still Haunts Your Sports Betting Group Chat

Pro-Level Detail: The Negative Space

The best artists look at what isn't there. In the Vikings logo, the white space is just as important as the purple. The white "face" is actually a very specific shape that resembles a jagged lightning bolt.

If you are using digital tools like Procreate or Illustrator, use a stabilizer for your brush. The Vikings logo is defined by "clean" lines. There is no grit here. No texture. It’s pure, vector-style perfection.

1. Set your canvas.
2. Use a reference image—seriously, don't wing it.
3. Block out the "Gold" sections first. They are the furthest "forward" in the visual plane.
4. Layer the purple helmet over the top.
5. Add the black stroke last. In the modern version, the black stroke is consistent in width throughout the entire design.

Final Touches for Authenticity

Once you've finished the basic shape, check your proportions. The distance from the tip of the horn to the back of the hair should be roughly equal to the distance from the top of the helmet to the bottom of the braid. It’s a very square-ish logo overall, fitting into a neat bounding box.

The Minnesota Vikings logo is a masterclass in 1960s sports design that has stood the test of time. It avoids the "angry animal" trope of modern logos and sticks to a human element that feels legendary.

If you want to take your drawing further, try sketching the 1961 original version. It’s much more "illustrative" and less "graphic." The lines are thinner, the face has more detail, and the horn is much more curved. Comparing the two will teach you more about brand evolution than any textbook ever could.

To get the cleanest result, always work from the largest shapes to the smallest details. Start with the "egg" of the head, add the "triangle" of the horn, and save the "dots" of the eyes for the very end. This prevents you from getting bogged down in the face before you’ve even established the helmet’s posture.

Next Steps for Your Art:

• Print out the official 2013 style guide. It shows the exact grid layout used by the NFL.
• Practice the "S-Curve" of the hair. It’s the most fluid part of the drawing and requires a steady hand.
• Use a compass for the helmet. While it’s not a perfect circle, the top arc is a consistent radius that can be mapped out for better symmetry.