Arsenal Logo

Arsenal Logo PNG

The Arsenal logo is symbolic in every aspect; even its colors reflect the football club’s history, not to mention the elements of the emblem that are directly related to the name and origin of the brand. However, the modern design indicates that the team strives to keep pace with the times.

Meaning and History

The club was founded in the London borough of Woolwich in 1886, home to the Royal Arsenal, the Royal Artillery Regiment, and numerous military hospitals. Arsenal played for two years without an emblem, then adopted the Woolwich coat of arms, which featured cannons. When the club moved to Highbury in 1913, the cannons remained on the logo as a hallmark. Initially, the barrel depicted on Arsenal’s logo pointed east, then it was turned west. Today, the barrel is again pointed east. Why? Nobody knows.

The image of this weapon remained the club’s main symbol for the next 17 seasons until the “western barrel” was slightly altered and formed into a new emblem with the Latin phrase “Victoria Concordia Crescit.” The image has existed in this form since 1949 and is still used today.

The club’s first name, Dial Square, was linked to the eponymous park nearby. It was then called Royal Arsenal, and upon moving to the fashionable Highbury, the leaders decided to retain just Arsenal as a tribute to the area where the club originated.

The crest of Victoria Concordia Crescit became the club’s official image from the first match of the 1949-50 season when the public saw it on the pre-match program.

Two years later, the club’s leadership incorporated the relevant Latin phrase, which became Arsenal’s official motto in the 1949/50 season. Arsenal’s new logo also included the inscription “Arsenal” in Gothic style, turned west, and the coat of arms of the London borough of Islington.

For the next 53 years, the first crest of Victoria Concordia Crescit remained unchanged, undergoing several cosmetic repairs. Initially, more colors were added to the emblem, and the decorative motif of the Victoria Concordia Crescit motto was replaced with a more modern one. Also, various gold colors were added to the crest after some time.

Thus, for over half a century, the Arsenal football club has hardly changed its traditions by the reverence of the official coat of arms. Yet, in 2002, the management decided on a real revolution of the main symbolism. The decision to almost completely modernize Arsenal’s emblem was made for two reasons. Firstly, the Victoria Concordia Crescit crest includes several elements over which disagreements prevent the club’s management from fully taking responsibility for the copyright. Secondly, promoting the club into the future has always been a fundamental idea of leadership. In connection with the construction of a new stadium and the change of millennia, it was decided to create a new Arsenal logo.

The team’s 2011/12 season shirts were released with a new crest to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary. The new Arsenal logo combined the modern and the first version from 1888. Fifteen oak leaves symbolize the 15 founders of the club, who first met at the Royal Oak pub. Another 15 laurel leaves were depicted on the six penny coins the 15 founders put into the common treasury in 1886. Forward – a motto related to armament and battles. This military call was previously used in the army.

Arsenal Football Club’s symbolism traces its historical heritage. Most logos feature cannons, which, for unclear reasons, are pointed either east or west. The only exception is the club’s badge from the 1930s, which features the AFC acronym in art-deco style.

What is Arsenal?

Arsenal is a football club with a history of over 130 years. It is based in London and participates in the Premier League Limited football association. The club has dozens of cups and championships to its name. In 2020, Arsenal was included in the list of the world’s most valuable football organizations.

1888 – 1922

Two years after its debut, the club began using a logo inspired by the coat of arms of the London borough of Woolwich. Three pillars adorned with lion heads represent cannons. They are associated with workers from the Royal Arsenal who founded the team.

1922 – 1925

After the name change in 1913, it took nine years for the club to develop a new logo. This time, there’s only one logo – in the form of a cannon. The cannon stands on large wheels inside an inverted oval. The barrel of the cannon points to the right. To the left is the team’s nickname, The Gunners, which was earned thanks to its connection with the Royal Arsenal factory.

1925 – 1930

The 1925 emblem has the cannon turned to the left. This version was used for the next five years.

1930 – 1936

Designers placed artillery on a white shield with a red outline. The bottom is occupied by the inscription “A. F. C., 1930”.

1936 – 1949

In 1936, manager Herbert Chapman proposed a new logo in the art-deco style: a hexagon monogram. C and A intersect with a football, forming the club’s initials AFC. This same sign adorned the Highbury stadium for several decades.

1949 – 1994

At the end of the 1940s, the cannon reappeared on the logo. The cannon is in the center of a heraldic shield. Above is the inscription “Arsenal,” executed in Gothic font. Below the horizontal line is the coat of arms of the Islington district with the Latin sentence “Deus Per Omnia.” Even lower is a ribbon with the motto “Victoria Concordia Crescit.” Use this phrase proposed by pre-match program editor Harry Homer.

1994 – 1996

Designers colored the logo and placed it inside a blue quadrilateral shield with a rounded base. At the top is the club’s nickname: “The Gunners”.

1996 – 2001

Minor details of the logo changed: the thin frame in the middle disappeared, and a wide golden outline appeared around the large shield.

2001 – 2002

The 1949 emblem returned. The symbol is drawn like the small shield on the 1996 emblem.

2011 – 2012

The team celebrated its 125th anniversary with a new logo used in the 2011/2012 season. Designers supplemented the shield with elements taken from the 1888 emblem. Fifteen oak leaves symbolize the club’s creators, and fifteen laurel leaves represent the coins the founders pooled together in a gesture of unity.

2002 – today

Arsenal FC could not patent its club symbolism, so it was forced to replace it. The cannon remained, but now it points to the right. Above it is the word “Arsenal”. The crest seems convex due to the specific coloring. The palette includes five colors: red, maroon, white, blue, and taupe.

Font and Colors

The main element of Arsenal Football Club’s emblem remains an artillery cannon. It first appeared on the logo in 1888 when the club used the Woolwich coat of arms as a graphic sign. But then the weapon looked different than now: it was pointed upwards, and its lower part was decorated with lion heads. Over time, artists modernized the design, making the cannon two-dimensional and turning it sideways to the viewer.

The military theme reflected in the football team’s name and emblem is due to the proximity of two strategically important sites—the Royal Artillery Regiment and the Royal Arsenal—located in the same area where the club was based. Another traditional part of the emblem is the heraldic shield, which is a triangle with rounded sides.

Arsenal FC’s logo is written in a sans-serif font reminiscent of Clearface Gothic Roman. Designers adapted Morris Fuller Benton’s original font, created in 1984, and changed the design of individual characters.

The developers paid no less attention to the graphic part. The club’s sign seems voluminous thanks to a successful combination of colors. In the middle of the shield, burgundy and red combine, while the edges are white and blue. The word “ARSENAL” is also white. The contours of the letters, the cannon, and the frame around the shield are grey-brown.