Logos and uniforms of the New England Patriots

The original logo of the New England Patriots was a stylized depiction of a Revolutionary War tricorne hat. Midway through the first season, it was replaced by an image of a New England Revolutionary War minuteman snapping a football, developed by artist Phil Bissell. Initial Patriots owner William Sullivan coined the logo's nickname — "Pat Patriot" — in late 1961. The team's original uniforms used a color scheme matching that of the American flag — red and white shirts, blue stripes on the sleeves, and white pants and helmets. As with most NFL teams, the helmets featured the team logo on both sides.

In 1978, the Patriots enhanced the American flag color arrangement by introducing red pants worn with the white and blue jerseys — a design that was used for home games. The pant design was reverted for the 1982 and 1983 seasons. In 1984, the Patriots introduced red jerseys and white pants, but in the 1985 season the team wore the white jerseys during all home games. However, in Super Bowl XX, the Patriots opted to wear their red jerseys as the designated home team against the Chicago Bears after road playoff victories over the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins wearing the red jerseys, though they lost resoundingly, 46-10.

In 1993, changes to the Patriots' uniforms and logo were rolled out by owner James Orthwein and NFL Properties. Apparently, due to the original 1960s-vintage "Pat the Patriot" logo being the most ornate and graphically detailed logo to be used anywhere in North American professional sports up to that time, with the associated greater expense with its replication for use, it was replaced with the silhouette of a Patriot's head wearing a red-white-and-blue tricorne hat — a symbol that was nicknamed the "Flying Elvis" by fans, and was also jokingly compared to the logo of Colonial lunchmeats. The team's jerseys were changed from red to "Patriot" (dark) blue with red numbers, and both the helmets and pants from white to silver.

In 2000, the team introduced a darker shade of blue to the jerseys. Blue pants were introduced with the white jerseys, and twice during the 2002 season, the Patriots wore an all-blue combination. In 2003, the Patriots introduced a silver alternate jersey that is worn occasionally at home with the blue pants. When the Patriots wear the silver jersey, the visiting team is obligated to don its contrasting dark jersey.

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