These aren’t your dad’s Columbus Crew any more.
A new owner, a new coach, a new style of play. And today they have a new name and logo.
The club, which beginning in 2015 will officially be known as Columbus Crew Soccer Club or Columbus Crew SC, unveiled a new brand identity on Wednesday night in downtown Columbus and the guys in the hard hats – a staple of the club’s logo since the 1996 inaugural season – will be a thing of the past come next year.
The new Crew logo maintains the club’s traditional black and gold colors, but it now takes on a circular shape, designed to recognize the city’s German heritage given the predominant tradition of circular crests in the German Bundesliga. The two rings that make up the circular badge also form an “O” which mirrors the “O” in the Ohio State flag.
“Our new badge and word-mark truly reflect who we are as a club, from our origins and historical accomplishments to our connection with Columbus and our unique fan culture,” owner Anthony Precourt said in a club statement. “It’s a timeless design and a strong statement for our brand.”
The club’s new name, “Columbus Crew SC,” wraps around the circle’s outer ring and inside the heart of the logo are three key elements: (1) a “96” in reference to the year of the club’s founding; (2) nine black-and-gold diagonal lines that highlight the nine other charter clubs that together with Columbus formed the 10-team league in MLS’ inaugural season; and (3) a black-and-gold checkerboard pattern that serves as a nod to the supporters culture at Crew SC.
The new brand identity will be fully implemented across all platforms in time for the 2015 MLS season.
“What we are talking about is not just a new badge for our club,” Precourt continued in the statement. “We want to show people that we are doing things differently, that we want to represent the pride of Columbus, and that we want to attract fans from throughout the region.”
