How The Pros Design Soccer Branding

From time to time, we like to stress how important the design process can be in terms of our own club’s image. It might seem farfetched since we rarely think about design when running our soccer clubs. It’s more important to maximize our energy for scheduling, team building, fields, and countless other tasks, right? We can’t argue those are vital to a club’s success, but… we have examples from some top soccer organizations which illustrate the care taken during the design process.

The first example shows how seemingly minor details in a logo mean something much more. These days, in successful logo design, there is a plan for almost every line drawn. For the city of Philadelphia, history and unity played a major role in their new MLS franchise’s logo. A quick check reveals nine elements in Philadelphia Union’s logo. Can you find them all without the explanation? Click on the picture to reveal all the different parts.

The second example is a successful redesign campaign. The first AFC Champions League logo was nice, but it wasn’t stand alone. It looked more like some kind of medical logo considering the helix look of the crossed lines.  The redesign incorporates a soccer ball allowing for less explanation to the casual observer. They also incorporated current design trends like gradients, shadows, and a 3D look.

The third example is another redesign. UEFA wanted to provide a “contemporary look and personality for each of the four youth competitions, while maintaining a common link and consistency between them.” They hoped to achieve that through capturing icons of players in distinct poses promoting attributes of youth, spirit, enthusiasm, and competitiveness. The stars signify promotion of a player’s progression and sense of achievement through each of the age levels. The initial designs looked like clip art with a random blue bubble in the background. The redesign has an engaging color scheme, more detail, and contemporary shapes.

Hopefully this gives a little bit of insight to the minuscule details that are considered in logo design. It is a reflection of who we are, so why not take the time to make it something we can be proud of.

~Sam@bluesombrero.com  

Comments

[logo design]

The good thing about your information is that it is explicit enough for students to grasp. Thanks for your efforts in spreading academic knowledge.

[Logo Design]

Hi sam,
Thanks for sharing about these logos. i got your post really wonderful