A ‘brand’ new image for the Premier League

2016 saw the relaunch of the Premier League with an excellent new brand design from Design Studio.
What makes this design unique and original is that it is so flexible, with an array of different formats, colours and combinations that will appeal to all of the vast audience around the globe who love the league and know it as the best football league on the planet.

It is bold and vibrant but also traditional in the keeping of the famous lion. It now has a much more modern, simple look yet still symbolises the league as the king of the beautiful game, bursting with pride of it’s English heritage.
It is most definitely the most flexible design in the industry and arguably the most flexible ever. The use of bright yellow, sky blue, red and green with the ever-present corporate navy works almost too well where ever it used and fails to clash with any of it’s member clubs corporate colours. Again this is very well played and extremely hard to achieve.
The font is a modern and bold. A rounded sans serif typeface well balanced and complimentary to the lion symbol as well as the zigzag graphic patterns. Which ever way the logo is used, whether it be a digital motion graphic seen across the nation’s football grounds, in printed magazines and even bus stop stands it works well with the font selection as well as a stand alone icon.

Another key factor in the success or the re-brand is the decision to lose a key sponsor name along the brand. Known simply as the Premier League, rather than the old corporate ‘The Barclays’ Premier League. The brand also has to work well over broadcast as well and print and digital, new music added to match days and animated versions of the zigzag with well thought out motions seen every week on Sky and BT keep the brand very consistent over both channels, despite adding their own brand to the broadcasts.

We, personally, have already seen this concept copied or replicated but it just doesn’t have the same impact as the original, you just end up thinking ‘oh look, they think they’re the Premier League’. It’s an excellent example of how originality is always best and is only best once, as the more times it’s half inched, it fails.

So hats off to Design Studio, London. A very successful re-brand of one of the most famous, iconic businesses in the world. We’re quite pleased that the Grieves Design brand is the same as one of the colour selections (blue/navy, almost) and could even work as well as this idea did (square/circle logos are very versatile)… Unlucky for us we didn’t think of it first but we will aspire to be just as creative and daring in our designs going forward. Not only do we love graphic design and the processes of creative excellence but we to love football up here in the north east. When the two combine so successfully it is an absolute pleasure to witness.

https://www.wearedesignstudio.com/works/premier-league-rebrand/