The New York Giants of the National Football League have had numerous uniforms and logos since their founding in 1925.
Logos
Giants logos have revolved around three distinct concepts: a "giant" football player poised to throw a pass, the word "Giants" and variations on the initials for New York. The "ny", "NY", and GIANTS logos have been featured on the team's uniforms over the past 46 years, though currently the original or current GIANTS script logo does not appear on the team's uniforms, although it appeared on their helmets throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Lowercase "ny" and GIANTS script
Prior to the 1961 campaign, the Giants official logo was the "giant quarterback" logo created by Marie Barclay Steinmuller, who also created the original "ny" logo. Starting in 1961, a stylized white lowercase "ny" was added to both sides of the team's helmet. This logo survived until 1975, when a stylized white and blue uppercase "NY" replaced it. The uppercase "NY" was itself replaced a season later by the team nickname written out in bold italicized white capital letters (GIANTS). This change was sparked by the team moving its operations to the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
In the 2000 season, an updated stylized blue and red lowercase "ny" returned as the primary logo (depicted as white when placed on the team's helmets), relegating GIANTS to a secondary role as the team's script logo. Controversy surrounded the change because the team remained in New Jersey. Owner Wellington Mara remarked "We are not attempting to make a political statement. Many people have remarked over the years that the "ny" logo is the greatest logo not being used. We happen to agree. We represent, and always have, the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. We did when we played at the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and the Yale Bowl, and we have since we moved to New Jersey. We are proud to represent this region, and we're proud of our heritage."
In 2005 a new script was introduced, "GIANTS" in block letters above a graphic containing the lowercase "ny" logo in a circle. This script logo contains all four team colors: blue, red, white and gray. While it was used prominently on team merchandise, the underlined script remained in the Giants' end zones. In 2007, the newer script was demoted to secondary logotype, with the underlined script again taking precedence.
The Giant quarterback
The "giant quarterback" logo is illustrative of the evolution of both the Giants and the sport that they play. Initially, the giant quarterback towers above the New York City skyline, then Yankee Stadium (the team's home from 1956 to 1973), and finally Giants Stadium (their home from 1976 to 2009). Previous to his current incarnation, the logo-bound giant quarterbacks executed a "stiff-arm" as part of his pass wind-up and wore a helmet with no face mask. The current giant quarterback prepares to throw without a stiff-arm and wears current NFL gear, including a helmet with a facemask.
Uniforms
Since 1949, the Giants have worn blue helmets, royal blue or red home jerseys, and white road jerseys accented by blue, red, or a combination of both. Their uniform pants (with the exception of a blue road version in the late 1970s) have alternated between white or gray with various combinations of blue and red striping. Currently, the team wears uniforms that are based on Giants designs of the late 1960s and early 1970s as well as the late 1950s and early 1960s: blue helmets and jerseys with white pants and blue socks at home, and blue helmets, white jerseys with gray pants and red socks on the road.
1950–1960
Prior to 1953, the Giants wore red jerseys for most home games. From 1937 through 1952, the typical Giants home uniform consisted of solid red or blue jerseys with white block numbers, blue helmets, gray pants with red or blue socks, and black cleats. There were no designated "home" or "road" uniforms until 1957. A solid white jersey with blue block numbers, the inverse of the solid blue jerseys, replaced the red jersey in 1953. In 1954 the white jersey acquired red numbers and red Northwestern stripes (named after Northwestern University where they are believed to have originated) which consists of three parallel horizontal stripes, with the central stripe approximately double the thickness of the other two. gray pants with red socks, and black cleats. Red would not be featured as a primary home jersey color until the design was resurrected in the 2004 season as the Giants' official "alternate" jersey.