Columbus Crew SC Logo

Columbus Crew SC Logo PNG

The stylish Columbus Crew SC logo embodies the unity of the football players and the fan community because they pursue a common goal – to get the long-awaited victory. And all this is done in order to glorify the city of Columbus as the birthplace of the greatest athletes and strong-willed people.

In 1996, MLS investor Lamar Hunt and his son Clark became the owners of the Columbus Crew. On July 30, 2013, Anthony Precourt, who had a stated interest in soccer, purchased the club for $ 68 million. Thus, Precourt Sports Ventures LLC became the team’s second investor-operator. On October 8, 2014, the new owner started rebranding. He changed the club’s name to Columbus Crew SC, focusing on its status as a soccer club.

In this regard, the word “Crew” acquired a new meaning, because the city was no longer associated with the working class. It began to symbolize team spirit and the unity between the players and members of the fan’s sporting community. Besides, the rebranding included logo modification. Only the official colors – black and gold – remained the same. The marketing department brought in Adidas and Whole-Brained to collaborate on designing a new concept. The logo Columbus Crew logo was unveiled in the fall of 2014 and debuted during the 2015 MLS campaign.

On October 17, 2017, Anthony Precourt announced about possible club’s relocation to Austin, Texas, if city officials would not construct a new stadium. On March 5, 2018, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the City of Columbus filed a lawsuit against Precourt. They referred to the state law preventing sports teams that benefited from public facilities from relocating to another city without preliminary notice. Finally, MLS allowed Precourt to start a new franchise in Austin, while Crew SC was still based in Columbus.

The FC got new owners. On January 1, 2019, the stock control was officially transferred to the Haslam family (the investment group of Dee and Jimmy) and team physician Dr. Pete Edwards. Subsequently, Pete Edwards took full ownership of the club after a deal with Precourt Sports Ventures LLC. He gave the promise to keep the team in the city and construct a new stadium.

Meaning and History

Established in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio, as one of the ten inaugural Major League Soccer franchises, the Columbus Crew SC has two logos. The second logo Columbus Crew was introduced after the 2014 rebranding campaign. It was initiated by the club’s new owner Anthony Precourt, who intended to modify brand identity in 2013.

What is Columbus Crew?

Columbus Crew is a professional soccer club from Ohio, a member of Major League Soccer, and a participant in the Eastern Conference. It was established in 1994 but began playing in 1996 as one of the league’s charter teams. The club is managed by the Haslam family and former team doctor Pete Edwards.

1996 – 2014

The debut Columbus Crew logo looked like a triangular Norman shield, widely known in the heraldic tradition. Its wide black bordure was broken by the article “the” at the top. Written in bold, sans serif grotesque font “The” was placed above the antique font-scripted “Crew” wordmark. Capitalized black words were in contrast to the yellow-golden background.

Two-thirds of the emblem featured three men wearing construction hats. Their silhouettes were drawn schematically: the light felt on the faces on the right side, hiding the rest in the shade. These were generalized images of workers or Columbus blue collars, city residents engaged in hard manual labor. The men were depicted on a contrasting dark grey background.

2015 – today

 

In 2014, the team’s new owner made the rebranding. On October 8, 2014, he unveiled a new circular logo Columbus Crew, a strong symbol of unity and shared values by the players, staff, fans, and community. It is a kind of tribute to Columbus’ German heritage (Columbus Oktoberfest, Nordecke Supporter’s Section, German Village) because most of the German Bundesliga emblems had the same form.

The inner ring mirrors the “O” in the state flag of Ohio. It has thick gold and back outlines. The inner ring contains sans serif white-scripted “Columbus” (at the top) and “Crew SC” (at the bottom) wordmarks.

The Columbus Crew SC emblem pays tribute to the club’s history, so “96” stands for the year the franchise and Major League Soccer were founded. It is written in the same font as the name of the team. “96” is placed inside a small shield adorned with nine yellow-and-black diagonal stripes representing the other charter clubs in the league. The checkboard pattern is a symbol of passionate fans and their unwavering support. This pattern is deeply rooted in Columbus Crew SC fan culture. Besides, it is an outstanding feature of Nordecke, the local stadium in Columbus.

Font and Colors

The logos of Columbus Crew SC changed along with its concept. Initially, the name was associated with the working class of the city, which had many so-called “blue-collar” workers. It was the – silhouettes of three men in construction helmets – who were depicted inside a quadrangular heraldic shield with a sharp base.

In 2014, the new franchise owner decided to conduct not only a redesign of the emblem but a complete rebranding. He considered the nickname Columbus Crew SC as a symbol of unity and team spirit, so he deemed the images of builders inappropriate. The companies Whole-Brained, and Adidas developed a modern round graphic symbol for the club. This logo contains several symbolic elements: a small ring – “O” on the Ohio flag, nine stripes inside it – the other participants of Major League Soccer, “96” – 1996, the year the franchise appeared.

In the first version of the emblem, two fonts were used: Sans Serif Grotesque for the article “THE” and an antique typeface for “CREW.” After the redesign, the inscriptions began to look completely different. Both the words “COLUMBUS CREW SC” and the number 96 are executed in a modified version of the sans-serif Copenhagen typeface. The most significant changes affected the letters “M,” “E,” and “W.”

Whole-Brained and Adidas developed a color scheme for the football team and tried to embody it in the logo. The primary palette includes black and yellow, with white used as an additional color.

Columbus Crew SC color codes