Visualizing the Manchester City sports club, the logo reflects the coastal location of the team’s city. Commitment to its history and the history of the city’s founding became the basis of the emblem, in the development of which the fans took an active part.
Manchester City: Brand overview
Founded: | 1880 |
Founder: | City Football Group Limited |
Headquarters: |
Bradford, Manchester, England |
Website: | mancity.com |
Meaning and History
The authors of the first club logos of Manchester City did not care a lot. They just copied several elements from the city emblem of Manchester. For example, a heraldic shield with a ship inside was depicted the same way. As a result, back in the 1990s, there was a court where the club was deprived of the right to exploit the city’s logo free of charge. So it was necessary to draw a new emblem. The present logo has been since 1997, although many fans wanted to return the “round” version.
Inspired by the urban sign, the developers of the logo also decided to decorate it with a beautiful inscription in Latin. The city description is Concilio et Labore. “The Citizens” one Superbia in Praelia is translated. In theory, such a loud motto should frighten the rivals of ManCity. But it is possible only if they understand Latin, and, as we know, there are only a few players who know the language.
It would be logical to assume that the stars at the top personify the number of championship titles of “citizens.” But they have already been the champions of England four times (twice – in the last five seasons), and there are only three stars. Everything is much simpler: the stars on the Manchester City logo are added in a decorative purpose and have no meaning. By the way, recently there was a need to correct the logo again, copyright was broken again, but the fans of the club, who have already made a tattoo of Manchester City logo on their body, rose in revolt having heard the news. The removal of tattoos costs at least 2 thousand pounds.
The golden eagle is one of the main symbols of Manchester. So what to do in this situation? It was decided to include the bird to the club talismans. And of course, it has to be depicted on the emblem too.
December 26, 2015, Mancunians introduced a new emblem of the club before the match with Sunderland. As promised, the Manchester City logo was designed in a round shape and executed in two colors: 94% of fans preferred the blue color, and 68% – the white one. Also, fans chose the elements of the picture: 85% appreciated a ship, the symbol of Manchester, 67% chose three rivers (Irwell, Irk and Medlock), and 60% picked out a red rose, the symbol of the county of Lancashire. The new logo appeared on T-shirts from next season. The logo has a round shape with a shield inside, where the golden ship and the red rose are depicted. All the lines are painted in the dark blue color and complemented by blue and white flowers. The year of the club foundation is painted blue, too. The new Manchester City logo has become simpler, so there are no more separate elements in the form of wings and head, stars, or half-detached inscription “Superbia in Proelio.” The redesign was done to unify and simplify the use of the logo in print, mobile applications, and other sources where the club is mentioned. Thus, the emblem of the city has become easier for fans to memorize.
The Manchester City logos includes elements of the city coat of arms, which is why it has been repeatedly accused of copyright infringement. Everything got to the point that in the 1990s, the court forbade the club to use the “stolen” symbols. Designers were forced to change the concept, but at the beginning of the new millennium, they returned to previous versions of the logo.
What is Manchester City?
Manchester City – a football club that adopted its current name in 1894. Previously, it was known as Ardwick Association F.C. and St. Mark’s (West Gorton). The sports organization plays in the Premier League and holds home matches at Etihad Stadium. The club was founded in 1880, and 24 years later, it won its first Football Association Challenge Cup.
1926
In the FA Cup final in 1926, the official coat of arms of the city of Manchester flaunted on players’ shirts. A similar logo adorned the uniform of Manchester United’s main rivals for several years.
1960s
In the 1960s, as a corporate emblem, a shield from the city coat of arms, placed in the center of the circle, was used. The symbol depicts a ship and a red field with three yellow lines. The sea vessel recalls the region’s long trading activities. The diagonal stripes belong to the Greeley dynasty. Inside the circle is the inscription “Manchester City FC.”
1970 – 1972
In 1970, designers changed the style of logo graphics. The basic elements remained the same.
1972 – 1976
The logo colors were updated again: the center of the circle turned blue, and the outlines turned black. On the shield, instead of three diagonal lines, the Scarlet Rose of Lancaster appeared.
1976 – 1981
For five years, the club used the city coat of arms. The t-shirts of the players were decorated with a composition of heraldic animals, a knight’s helmet, bees, a shield, and the Latin motto “Concilio Et Labore.”
1981 – 1997
The team returned the 1972 logo. The colors inside the circle became darker.
1997 – 2016
Due to allegations of copyright infringement, the club was forced to change the logo – golden eagle – an old symbol of the city. Three white stripes on the shield represent the Medlock, Irk, and Irwell rivers. The motto “Superbia In Proelio” means “Pride in battle.” Only three stars do not have a hidden meaning – they perform a purely decorative function.
2016 – today
Due to numerous protests, Manchester City again decided to renew the club badge. A message about this was released on October 15, 2015. Fans of the team took part in the creation of the logo. Fans themselves chose colors, shapes, and elements of the image. As a result, the emblem turned out to be the same as the one used until 1997. Only minor details changed: there were three blue lines against the background of the rose and the numbers “18” and “94,” indicating the primary date in the club’s history.
Font and Colors
Before 2016, the text on the heraldic shield was set in the contrasting Palatino Bold font created by Hermann Zapf. In the new logo, its complete opposite is used. The Manchester City name is written in bold letters without serifs, all strokes having the same thickness. This option is roughly similar to Metropolis Bold by Chris Simpson.
To make the football club’s symbol bright and easily noticeable, the designers combined several colors:
- dark blue (for letters and most outlines);
- two shades of light blue (for diagonal stripes inside the shield, numbers, and some details);
- red (for rose petals);
- two variations of gold (for the ship and inner shield outlines).
White is used as a background for the inscriptions and the sailing vessel.
Manchester City color codes
Ruddy Blue | Hex color: | #6cabdd |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 108 171 221 | |
CMYK: | 51 23 0 13 | |
Pantone: | PMS 298 C |
Delft blue | Hex color: | #1c2c5b |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 28 44 91 | |
CMYK: | 69 52 0 64 | |
Pantone: | PMS 655 C |
Maximum Yellow Red | Hex color: | #ffc659 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 255 198 89 | |
CMYK: | 0 22 65 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 136 C |
Goldenrod | Hex color: | #d4a12a |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 212 161 42 | |
CMYK: | 0 24 80 17 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7409 C |
Cinnabar | Hex color: | #ec3325 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 236 51 37 | |
CMYK: | 0 78 84 7 | |
Pantone: | PMS Bright Red C |