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: Brand overview
Founded: | June 6, 1995 |
Founder: | Clark Hunt and Dan Hunt |
Headquarters: | Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, U.S. |
Website: | fcdallas.com |
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 known as a 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 seen as difficult in terms of graphics and design 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 (colors of the US and Texas flags) with a silvery shade. The primary logo of FC Dallas 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 main elements of the club’s identity, including an emblem featuring a fire-breathing horse, were presented. 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 in a frame.
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 reminiscent of 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 seems 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.
FC Dallas: Interesting Facts
FC Dallas is a soccer team that’s been part of Major League Soccer (MLS) since the beginning.
- Their First Name: They started as the Dallas Burn in 1995 but became FC Dallas in 2005 to sound more like a classic soccer team.
- Their Stadium: They play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which opened in 2005. It was one of the first stadiums built just for soccer in the U.S.
- Winning Cups: They’ve won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a big soccer competition in the U.S., two times in 1997 and 2016.
- Lamar Hunt’s Legacy: The team is owned by the Hunt family, a big name in American sports. The stadium and the team’s academy are named to honor Lamar Hunt, who helped start MLS.
- Great Youth Program: FC Dallas is known for having a good youth program. Some of these players, like Weston McKennie, have gone on to play for big teams and the U.S. national team.
- Fans Who Care a Lot: Groups like the Dallas Beer Guardians and El Matador support the team, making games fun with cheers and banners.
- Big Rivalry: They have a rivalry with the Houston Dynamo called the Texan Derby. The winner gets a trophy called El Capitán, a cannon each year.
- Working with Other Teams: They’ve teamed up with clubs from other countries, like Bayern Munich, to help find and train young players.
- Helping the Community: The team does a lot of good stuff in the area through the FC Dallas Foundation, working on health, education, and helping kids grow.
- Looking for a Big Win: They haven’t won the MLS Cup yet, but they’ve been a strong team, even winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2016 for being the best in the regular season.
FC Dallas is all about training young players, getting the community involved, and adding to the soccer scene in the U.S.
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 irrepressible desire for freedom.
Then, the horse was replaced by the Texas longhorn, embodying 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 stuck to a standard sans-serif font, perfectly complementing the graphic part. 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 – rounded and flattened from above.
The overall color palette connects the disparate elements of the logo. It includes shades such as Shawnee Silver (#D1D5D8), Bovine Blue (#003E7E), and Republic Red (#D11241), which combine nicely with white.
FC Dallas color codes
Red | Hex color: | #e81f3e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 232 31 62 | |
CMYK: | 0 87 73 9 | |
Pantone: | PMS 185 C |
Dark Cerulean | Hex color: | #2a4076 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 227 212 173 | |
CMYK: | 0 4 20 7 | |
Pantone: | PMS 654 C |
Neon Silver | Hex color: | #cccbcc |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 63 194 204 | |
CMYK: | 60 0 23 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS Cool Gray 2 C |