FC Dallas Logo PNG
When creating the FC Dallas logo, designers drew inspiration from the soccer club’s name and its connection to Texas, a state historically famed for cattle ranching. The emblem features elements symbolizing passionate feelings, a fiery love for the sport, and a burning desire to win.
FC Dallas is a professional soccer club located in Dallas, Texas. The team competes in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. Founded on June 6, 1995, FC Dallas is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, joining the league at its inception in 1996. That same year, the club was purchased by Lamar Hunt, an American businessman and co-founder of the AFL and NASL.
Initially, the club was named Dallas Burn SC. The name “Burn” was a clear reference to Texas’s extremely hot climate and the devastating fire that engulfed the city in 1860. A conceptual logo featuring a fire-breathing Mustang and a red-black color scheme was presented in New York on October 17, 1995.
Unfortunately, investing in the club wasn’t profitable as revenues didn’t cover expenses. In 2004, Lamar Hunt announced a major rebranding to attract new fans. The old name seemed too unusual for the owner. Moreover, “Burn” as part of the name was considered difficult to render visually and unsuitable for a logo.
Choosing a new name, the owners decided to simplify it and settled on the current “FC Dallas.” The franchise was renamed in August 2005, coinciding with the move to the new Pizza Hut Park stadium in Frisco. The rebranding also included a change in the color scheme: the original red-black palette was replaced with red-white-blue (the colors of the US and Texas flags) and a silvery shade. FC Dallas’s primary logo was also changed. The soccer club is owned by Hunt Sports Group and led by brothers Dan and Clark Hunt.
Meaning and History
Originally named “Dallas Burn SC,” its previous logo featured a fire-breathing Mustang behind a stylized “Burn” inscription. This was a nod to American cowboys and an interpretation of the “flying red horse,” a famous Dallas symbol placed atop the Magnolia Petroleum Company building in 1934. The old FC Dallas logo was used until the 2004 rebranding.
What is FC Dallas?
FC Dallas is a professional American soccer team based in Texas. It was founded in 1995 and is owned by Hunt Sports Group, led by brothers Clark and Dan Hunt. The club competes in the Western Conference and is a member of MLS. Originally called “Dallas Burn,” it was renamed in 2004.
1996 – 2004
FC Dallas was established in 1995 as Dallas Burn SC, reflected in its graphic symbols. On October 17 of the same year, the club unveiled its main identity elements, including an emblem featuring a fire-breathing horse. The animal stands on its hind legs with its forelegs held high. But they hardly resemble typical horse limbs, more like zigzagging lightning bolts.
The Mustang’s mane is also pointed, indicating its aggressive mood. Flames burst from its mouth. This unique interpretation of the “flying red horse” is not red but black with a marsh-colored outline. Across the animal’s figure is a stylized “BURN” inscription framed.
2005 – today
Lamar Hunt designed the first FC Dallas soccer club logo himself, sketching it at his kitchen table. The franchise owner moved away from the previous concept: a Texas Longhorn replaced the heated Mustang. The red, flame-shaped spot adorning the animal’s forehead is the only thing that recalls Burn’s fiery symbolism.
The bull’s head on the FC Dallas logo is placed inside a triangular-pointed shield. The heraldic element has red (outer) and white (inner) contours. The shield appears to be divided into two parts. In the upper part is the inscription “FC Dallas” in white on a dark blue background, and in the lower part is the Longhorn’s half-face on a red background. The team’s name is written in a strictly chopped font. Below it are silver-grey elongated numbers “9” and “6,” referencing 1996, the year the club played its first match as an MLS member.
The minimalist bull is drawn schematically without additional details. White and blue elements form its silhouette. Dark shadows contrasting with the light ground create a 3D effect on the FC Dallas logo. A white five-pointed star on the animal’s neck is slightly tilted to the right. The star and the color palette pay homage to those depicted on the Texas state flag and demonstrate the connection between the teams. As for the longhorn, it represents the type of Texas cattle herded along North Texas trails in the 19th century.
Font and Colors
Both FC Dallas graphic symbols (and there are two) are dedicated to the “fiery” theme. But while the “Mustang” literally spews fire, the second emblem features much less flame, looking like an irregularly shaped spot on the bull’s forehead. Another favorite symbol of the soccer team is wild animals. First, it was the horse living in the American prairies. It signified an USepressible desire for freedom.
Then the horse was replaced by the Texas longhorn, which embodies courage, determination, and national unity. Artists depicted it mysteriously, using just a few geometric figures in two colors. With them, they managed to highlight the animal’s gracefulness and give the drawing a voluminous look. Designers also placed a five-pointed star on the longhorn’s chest, a significant symbol of the team’s victorious game.
The emblem developers used a standard sans-serif font, which perfectly complemented the graphic element. There’s minimal space between the bold, vertically elongated letters. Numerous straight angles are noticeable. On the other hand, the number 96 looks completely different. Clearly, a completely different font was used for its writing, with a rounded, flattened style compared to the one above.
The overall color palette ties the disparate elements of the logo together. It includes shades such as Shawnee Silver (#D1D5D8), Bovine Blue (#003E7E), and Republic Red (#D11241), which combine nicely with white.