The Club Crest Evolution | Part 2
With football in an ever-changing state of flux, football clubs are adapting their image to meet the needs of the modern game.
In light of this, we released our first Club Crest Evolution article back in 2020, which focused on a select handful of clubs that had made the leap into the digital age and caused quite a stir in the process.
After Inter Milan's much anticipated crest change in April 2021, we're returning to the subject, analysing some of the most recent crest changes since our our last article as well as analysing others from the recent past that we didn't touch on the first time around.
Inter Milan
On March 31st 2021, Inter took a very bold move in an attempt to reposition themselves as a modern football brand by changing their much loved logo
Gone was the complex initials of the club, a variation on Giorgio Muggiani's 1908 original and in came a more digital friendly and identifiable 'IM' (which was played with in the opening marketing campaign, changing IM to I'M followed by an adjective). The gold trim was also removed to to create a stark contrast in colours from the blue and black to white lettering.
The move was understandably seen as highly controversial, enraging the more traditional Nerazzurri but pleasing the younger generation and branding experts. It's been seen as a move to catch up on and off the pitch with their hated domestic rivals Juve, who rebranded their logo in 2017 to a simple 'J'.
The club themselves stated "while maintaining continuity with the original version, the new symbol is a more suitable fit for the age of entertainment”. These words were not to dissimilar to the ones used by Juventus a couple of years prior. It must be noted that they've tried to find the best balance between tradition and the future, with the round emblem remaining, with the initials simply being rebranded for the digital age.
Rangers
You may have missed it, but as the Coronavirus swept the nation back in summer 2020, one of Britain's biggest sides changed the crest.
On the face of it, little had changed. The shape and elements within remained but with a solid pair of glasses or by leaning forward into the screen, some minor but important alterations were made to help bring Rangers into the digital age.
Firstly, the words 'Rangers Football Club', were shifted around, with the word 'Rangers' standing on top alone, whilst 'Football Club' now found themselves underneath. This was a clear attempt to make it more recognisable and easy to read. Previously, the words were all on the sides, making it harder to understand.
Secondly, the inner circles were cleaned up and the lion enlarged along with a more clearer 'Ready' slogan inside. It gave off a clear image that might cut it on a digital platform.
Rangers themselves had this vision in mind during the project, stating '"Rangers Football Club has today unveiled its club brand evolution and digital transformation strategy, through an enhanced suite of unified digital products including the launch of a new industry-leading club website and app."
Unlike Inter or many other recent crest changes, the evolution rather than revolution nature of Rangers' crest change was met with generally positive reactions. it must also be noted that Rangers will continue to wear their original intertwined initials matchday crest from 1881 on the pitch, leaving the new 'Ready' crest for all other branded material.
FC Nantes
The port city of Nantes has a proud history, and one that until recently was reflected clearly in the club's crest. A sailing boat, or more precisely a schooner, was front and centre. Alterations were made over the years, with a more simplistic version brought forward in 1977 and for a decade The Canaries opted for a green wave before returning to the fan favourite schooner crest in 1997.
The arrival of businessman Waldemar Kita in 2007 saw the badge change but the controversial change of 2019 is what landed FC Nantes a spot in this article. All but just the breton hermine remained whilst the schooner, eight stars (representing each league title) and crest style were let go for a giant 'N' that feels like a move copied straight out of the Juventus playbook from just a couple of years earlier.
The words FC Nantes remain on top but the transition to this abstract and modern crest was a radical departure from its predecessors. Traditional fans voiced their disproval of the change, whilst the club released a detailed account as to the reasons behind the move.
So there we have it. A quick recap at some of the biggest European club crest changes in 2021. If you liked what you read, why not check out the Part 1 of this series, where we analyse changes made at Juve, West Ham and PSG.
What do you think of the new designs? Let us know on Instagram and Twitter, where the conversation will continue.
