Future Club Crest & Brand Identity

[R.Bear]

2 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Okay, so, I wanted to illustrate the kind of thing I think we will be getting, judging by what Mr Heck and Mother Design did with the 76ers.

Now, I'm not saying it will be this design, I've not touched on colours in any way, they may well use a different shape, a different font face, or a different lion, they may use the star, or they may not, they might include 1874, or they may not.

What I'm trying to show is how a crest for us may be designed to be used as part of a brand with component parts.

 

So first up we have a crest with all components included, now this isn't meant to scale down exactly as it is, it will lose component parts depending upon the use case.

This would be used pretty much wherever space is allowed and the full name required.

Next, we have a version that just contains the text, this would be used when there's not enough vertical space for the whole thing, like the header of a website, on the side of a pen, or something like that. I've done a couple of versions of this. You could also use the up/down chevrons in other places like on the kit or various other places and really integrate that into the brand.

Then we have the diamond and the lion, this could be used wherever there's a repeating pattern, or anywhere you don't need the text present, like wallpaper etc.

Finally, we have the lion on its own (apart from the star in this case), we've seen that used quite a bit recently on jackets, strips, and marketing.

The idea is that you have these interchangeable parts, that can be used across a brand, swapped in and out as needed. If done properly and consistently it can be a very powerful marketing tool.

 

 

 

These would be great on a menu if Aston Villa was a restaurant but we’re a football club so they don’t work for me.

[allani]

12 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Yeah Villa fans... who ALSO have a wealth of experience with actual design fundamentals , modern media etc welcome.

I've started to realise that alot of people legit don't have a clue about design, modern media, or basic colour balance etc 

I see a few claim the Lerner era one is still the best one and I'm absolutely bemused.

 

Yep - the worst people to involve in / vote on the badge / design are people like me because all I have to reference is what we've had before.  In my view voting on a badge is similar to asking fans which players we should sign and then having a vote between the two most commonly selected names and signing them.  Things like this should be left to the experts.

[allani]

8 minutes ago, R.Bear said:

These would be great on a menu if Aston Villa was a restaurant but we’re a football club so they don’t work for me.

I really dislike the whole star thing (which just seems lame to me) but that's not really @Teale's 'tache's doing.  Maybe replacing the star with a football would make it more obvious that we're a football club not a restaurant....  But weirdly I think your concerns about it being good for a restaurant demonstrate (to me at least) why it is such a clever concept - different elements used in different situations and yet all of them link back to the same design idea.  It works on fixtures / fittings around the establishment, it works on paper (menus / letterheads / etc), it works for a digital format too.  I also really like how individual elements tie back to things about the club or Villa Park - you could do an amazing video explaining the design concept that would be great when dealing with corporate clients / potential sponsors. 

[Teale's 'tache]

20 minutes ago, allani said:

I think the other obvious interchangeable part would be to remove the lion from the crest and use the crest and name as a frame - for example when a new player signs, you have their portrait within the frame.  Or you could put 3-0 as the final score in the frame.  It's immediately obvious that anything contained within the frame relates to Villa.

(I do like the floodlight style reference - so slightly think that the top of the diamond needs to look more like an A.  Aesthetically you are probably right to have the Aston Villa at the bottom but at the top would make the A and V used to make a diamond more obvious.  For the floodlight reason, I'd like that to be a but more prominent in the font of Aston Villa - but I guess that's tricky to do technically if it results in a non-standard font type.)

However, this perfectly demonstrates exactly what @OutByEaster? and I were discussing last night and having a brand that allows you to do lots of different things with different components and yet still make everything "feel" linked and cohesive.  Thanks!

Regarding using the frame, that's absolutely what I'm trying to get at, if you can use all of the components across different mediums, in different situations, and do it consistently then you have a brand. Once you have a good brand and use it correctly, it becomes memorable and almost organic in the way it evolves from there on. You can also just refine/update a component at a time as required, rather than having a completely new design every so many years if trends change.

In terms of the finer details, I really just threw a few ideas together that I've had since yesterday, there are plenty of refinements/improvements I can see that I could make already. But, like I say, you could use a different lion, a different font and the premise is the same.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Heck is looking to build a brand like he did with the 76ers, not just a crest, something that goes beyond a simple badge, that can flow through all of our marketing, everything we do, long term.

[allani]

1 minute ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Regarding using the frame, that's absolutely what I'm trying to get at, if you can use all of the components across different mediums, in different situations, and do it consistently then you have a brand. Once you have a good brand and use it correctly, it becomes memorable and almost organic in the way it evolves from there on. You can also just refine/update a component at a time as required, rather than having a completely new design every so many years if trends change.

In terms of the finer details, I really just threw a few ideas together that I've had since yesterday, there are plenty of refinements/improvements I can see that I could make already. But, like I say, you could use a different lion, a different font and the premise is the same.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that Heck is looking to build a brand like he did with the 76ers, not just a crest, something that goes beyond a simple badge, that can flow through all of our marketing, everything we do, long term.

I think it is a brilliant demonstration of these points and really shows (to me at least) why this needs people who know what they are doing to be taking the lead and not asking Bob down the local boozer or @allani on VillaTalk what the badge should look like.

[Jas10]

 

[Captain_Townsend]

37 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

 

I think the new lion is better (face it left) and out Aston Villa underneath. 

[Stevo985]

4 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Okay, so, I wanted to illustrate the kind of thing I think we will be getting, judging by what Mr Heck and Mother Design did with the 76ers.

Now, I'm not saying it will be this design, I've not touched on colours in any way, they may well use a different shape, a different font face, or a different lion, they may use the star, or they may not, they might include 1874, or they may not.

What I'm trying to show is how a crest for us may be designed to be used as part of a brand with component parts.

 

So first up we have a crest with all components included, now this isn't meant to scale down exactly as it is, it will lose component parts depending upon the use case.

This would be used pretty much wherever space is allowed and the full name required.

Next, we have a version that just contains the text, this would be used when there's not enough vertical space for the whole thing, like the header of a website, on the side of a pen, or something like that. I've done a couple of versions of this. You could also use the up/down chevrons in other places like on the kit or various other places and really integrate that into the brand.

Then we have the diamond and the lion, this could be used wherever there's a repeating pattern, or anywhere you don't need the text present, like wallpaper etc.

Finally, we have the lion on its own (apart from the star in this case), we've seen that used quite a bit recently on jackets, strips, and marketing.

The idea is that you have these interchangeable parts, that can be used across a brand, swapped in and out as needed. If done properly and consistently it can be a very powerful marketing tool.

 

 

 

This is **** beautiful, so don’t take this as a criticism. 
I wonder what it would like with the gas lamp shape instead of the diamond? Just to keep the nod to that element

[Teale's 'tache]

15 hours ago, allani said:

I think it is a brilliant demonstration of these points and really shows (to me at least) why this needs people who know what they are doing to be taking the lead and not asking Bob down the local boozer or @allani on VillaTalk what the badge should look like.

 

I think there needs to be some fan input, and I believe that's legally the case now after the 'Cardiff Reds' debacle.

I don't mind fans being involved in the process at all, but they can have too much input, and be led in certain directions depending on the questions asked, which is possibly what happened in the latest design. It's important to have some restrictions, some non-negotiables, and work from those, however, if there are too many then you leave little room for creativity.

I'll be very interested to see how this process will differ from the last one, and I'll be interested to see the fan reactions as well, as I get the impression that there's less demand for a round crest than before and more for a singular lion which has been used by the club a lot recently.

[thabucks]

19 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

Okay, so, I wanted to illustrate the kind of thing I think we will be getting, judging by what Mr Heck and Mother Design did with the 76ers.

Now, I'm not saying it will be this design, I've not touched on colours in any way, they may well use a different shape, a different font face, or a different lion, they may use the star, or they may not, they might include 1874, or they may not.

What I'm trying to show is how a crest for us may be designed to be used as part of a brand with component parts.

 

So first up we have a crest with all components included, now this isn't meant to scale down exactly as it is, it will lose component parts depending upon the use case.

This would be used pretty much wherever space is allowed and the full name required.

Next, we have a version that just contains the text, this would be used when there's not enough vertical space for the whole thing, like the header of a website, on the side of a pen, or something like that. I've done a couple of versions of this. You could also use the up/down chevrons in other places like on the kit or various other places and really integrate that into the brand.

Then we have the diamond and the lion, this could be used wherever there's a repeating pattern, or anywhere you don't need the text present, like wallpaper etc.

Finally, we have the lion on its own (apart from the star in this case), we've seen that used quite a bit recently on jackets, strips, and marketing.

The idea is that you have these interchangeable parts, that can be used across a brand, swapped in and out as needed. If done properly and consistently it can be a very powerful marketing tool.

 

 

 

Can we start a petition and ask the club to employ you and go with this please ! Best design by far ! Could you tweak the design with the lion facing the other way round as I do prefer the new iteration on the current place holder badge… 

Edited September 28, 2023 by thabucks

[Teale's 'tache]

14 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

This is **** beautiful, so don’t take this as a criticism. 
I wonder what it would like with the gas lamp shape instead of the diamond? Just to keep the nod to that element

 

The gaslamp concept is interesting, though I feel it needs to look more like a gaslamp if we were to go down that route, as it would then be more unique a shape, at the moment it's too similar to a shield I feel.

I understand the gaslamp part of our history, but it seems a very recent thing, I'd been supporting Villa for 20+ years before it came to my attention, and many Villa fans still seem to not be aware of it, so anyone outside of our support would have no idea at all what it means.

However, it is an interesting shape and bit of history that could absolutely be used as part of a brand, it's the kind of thing I would expect Heck to be looking at judging by how he delved into the 76ers history for their branding.

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, Teale's 'tache said:

 

The gaslamp concept is interesting, though I feel it needs to look more like a gaslamp if we were to go down that route, as it would then be more unique a shape, at the moment it's too similar to a shield I feel.

I understand the gaslamp part of our history, but it seems a very recent thing, I'd been supporting Villa for 20+ years before it came to my attention, and many Villa fans still seem to not be aware of it, so anyone outside of our support would have no idea at all what it means.

However, it is an interesting shape and bit of history that could absolutely be used as part of a brand, it's the kind of thing I would expect Heck to be looking at judging by how he delved into the 76ers history for their branding.

I still don't like the star but it's personal preference. but that's a lovely design, thank you

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, Teale's 'tache said:

The gaslamp concept is interesting, though I feel it needs to look more like a gaslamp if we were to go down that route, as it would then be more unique a shape, at the moment it's too similar to a shield I feel.

I kind of think that's the benefit to it if I'm honest.

It looks like a shield, which means it fits in with other crests/badges, but it's based on something historic from the club rather than just being a generic shield shape

[Teale's 'tache]

2 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I still don't like the star but it's personal preference. but that's a lovely design, thank you

I can see both sides of the star debate, from a designer's point of view I'd probably lose it, anything not essential is usually making a design too busy, but I put it in these designs mainly to show where it would go if we decided to keep it, you could easily remove it, just make the lion a little bigger, and move it up a touch to fill the space.

[Stevo985]

2 minutes ago, Teale's 'tache said:

I can see both sides of the star debate, from a designer's point of view I'd probably lose it, anything not essential is usually making a design too busy, but I put it in these designs mainly to show where it would go if we decided to keep it, you could easily remove it, just make the lion a little bigger, and move it up a touch to fill the space.

I wonder if you could move the lion up slightly, as well as the Aston Villa banner, and put the star in the small triangle that would create under the banner at the bottom of the badge?

That way the star is there, but it's in a convenient gap and doesn't take up space on the actual design.

[Teale's 'tache]

Just now, Stevo985 said:

I wonder if you could move the lion up slightly, as well as the Aston Villa banner, and put the star in the small triangle that would create under the banner at the bottom of the badge?

That way the star is there, but it's in a convenient gap and doesn't take up space on the actual design.

That's a possibility, though you may run into issues should you ever need to add a second star.

I added it at the top mainly so we could use just the lion and star together as we have been doing recently. I also made sure it was center-aligned for the sake of symmetry. I don't like it off center, it ruins the balance of any design and it looks like the lion is juggling with it.

[VBM]

1 minute ago, Teale's 'tache said:

That's a possibility, though you may run into issues should you ever need to add a second star.

This is the kind of optimism I can get behind.

[Stevo985]

42 minutes ago, Teale's 'tache said:

That's a possibility, though you may run into issues should you ever need to add a second star.

I added it at the top mainly so we could use just the lion and star together as we have been doing recently. I also made sure it was center-aligned for the sake of symmetry. I don't like it off center, it ruins the balance of any design and it looks like the lion is juggling with it.

Oh yeah I totally agree with what you did based on having the star, I was just spitballing

[It's Your Round]

3 hours ago, Teale's 'tache said:

 

The gaslamp concept is interesting, though I feel it needs to look more like a gaslamp if we were to go down that route, as it would then be more unique a shape, at the moment it's too similar to a shield I feel.

I understand the gaslamp part of our history, but it seems a very recent thing, I'd been supporting Villa for 20+ years before it came to my attention, and many Villa fans still seem to not be aware of it, so anyone outside of our support would have no idea at all what it means.

However, it is an interesting shape and bit of history that could absolutely be used as part of a brand, it's the kind of thing I would expect Heck to be looking at judging by how he delved into the 76ers history for their branding.

I like this, and the fact you can deconstruct it for different purposes. I can imagine for the shirt badges you’d just remove the text and numbers from the bottom. It’s simple and has some meaning. 
 

I’d also lose the star at this point. 

[Mark Albrighton]

Some cracking work, @Teale's 'tache

Do you have any thoughts on various colour schemes? What you’ve done obviously would work on a claret shirt. On a white shirt, claret lion and lamp border. Black shirt, I guess yellow/gold again?

And in particular I’m thinking if you have all the PL clubs badges lined up like they do, and it’s on a white background, does the yellow text and border cause an issue sort of blending into the white?