New York Red Bulls Logo PNG
The passion, energy, and power embodied in the New York Red Bulls logo extend beyond sports. This graphical representation mirrors the concept of Austrian manufacturer Red Bull GmbH, which owns the soccer franchise and has given it its name. Thus, the emblem serves a dual marketing function: promoting both the team and the energy drinks.
The New York Red Bulls is a professional soccer team located in Harrison, New Jersey. The franchise emerged in October 1994 as the Empire Soccer Club. However, before the inaugural season, club owners Stuart Subotnick and John Kluge changed the club’s name to New York/New Jersey MetroStars, referencing Metromedia, a media company they also managed. At the same time, they rejected Nike’s “MetroFlash” option. The franchise owners also declined the “Cosmos” option because they didn’t want to purchase the rights to this name.
In 1998, the team dropped its New York/New Jersey territorial designation and became simply MetroStars. In the 2000s, the unfortunate franchise lost match after match, setting the worst record in MLS history. Disappointed with the team, Anschutz Entertainment Group announced the sale of the team to the Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull GmbH on March 9, 2006. The new owner conducted extensive rebranding, including changes to the team’s name, color palette, and logo. The franchise was renamed from MetroStars to Red Bull during a preseason training camp in North Carolina.
Initially, the conglomerate decided to relocate the franchise to New York, but didn’t want to spend money on a new stadium and pay MLS for the move. Later, the owners decided to stay in New Jersey. The team only received a new name: “MetroStars” transformed into “Red Bulls New York,” but fans and the media call it “New York Red Bulls.”
After paying $100 million, the Austrian company acquired both the franchise and 50% of the stadium being constructed. It was supposed to open in 2008; until then, the team continued to play at Giants Stadium. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which oversaw the stadium’s construction, sharply criticized the name change, seeing it as a disrespect to the state of New Jersey. Fans also protested this decision by purchasing a billboard ad, forcing Red Bull to abandon the investment project.
Meaning and History
Over its 25-year history, the soccer club has had four logos. The first logo of the New York Red Bulls reflected the state’s cultural and historical heritage. The new owner, the energy drink manufacturer, transformed the logo into a commercial tool, placing two red bulls facing off against a yellow sun.
What is New York Red Bulls?
The New York Red Bulls is a professional soccer team based in one of New York’s boroughs, USA. It is an MLS member and competes in the Eastern Conference. The club was established in 1994 and began competing in 1996 under the name “New York/New Jersey MetroStars.” The club received its new name in 2006 after being acquired by Red Bull GmbH.
1996 – 2001
The franchise introduced its debut logo when it was known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. It remained even after the name change; the logo aimed to connect the club with its geographical homeland. The design heavily imitated the style of American comics. Black and grey skyscrapers seemed to reach for the sky in the background.
The lower part of the logo featured a flame-like capital letter “M.” The orange letter was outlined in black internally and yellow externally. The logo was intended to convey the metropolis’s nonstop activity, never sleeping. Skyscrapers stretched from native New York to New Jersey and Giants Stadium. On the black background, the white inscription “Metro Stars” stood out. The logotype was written in an original geometric font with straight angles and straight serifs.
2002 – 2005
Before the 2003 season, the club introduced a new logo. It wasn’t done in a comic style but shifted to a traditional soccer shield, a Gothic triangular heraldic shield. Three sides represented the territories of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The shield was divided into black and red quarters, the franchise’s official color scheme. The top-left field featured a five-pointed star, while the top-right quarter was adorned with five red and black parallel stripes. The bottom-right part depicted a black-and-white soccer ball with a yellow outline. Across the shield, the club’s name was written in white uppercase letters. The font was the same as in the first logo. Only two letters, “T,” underwent changes: long horizontal lines appeared from them, resembling lightning.
2006 – 2007
When the franchise changed its name from MetroStars to New York Red Bulls, the energy drink manufacturer used the team’s logo as an advertising board for promoting its brand. Thus, the new logo included all significant elements of the owner’s label: two Red Bulls, the sun, and the Red Bulls’ proprietary font.
The New York Red Bulls logo depicted two running animals, ready to collide, with a yellow sun above. Thin red stripes stretching from behind were added to create a sense of dynamism and movement. A soccer ball was placed above the bulls’ heads. The inscriptions “Red Bull” and “New York” were written above and below the shield. The logo looked like a four-sided shield with a rounded base, outlined in double blue. Only the bulls stood beyond the border.
2008 – today
The current New York Red Bulls logo, introduced in 2008, resembles the 2006 version. Designers made a few minor changes, so the old concept remained unchanged. As before, two bulls are at the center of the emblem. The thin lines indicating movement disappeared. The red color became more saturated. The sun changed from pale yellow to orange and now has a clear shape without protruding stripes.
Font and Colors
When the New York Red Bulls were called the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, the elements of their identity reflected the region’s heritage. However, the emblems’ semantic content was unconventional. First, the artists depicted skyscrapers in the style of classic comics, and then a heraldic shield with a uniquely designed “MetroStars” inscription.
After the club came under Red Bull’s control, its logo became an advertising tool. The energy drink manufacturer placed its trademark inside a rectangular shield with a rounded base: two red bulls run towards each other against a setting sun. This innovation was not well-received by the soccer team’s fans, who believed the emblem should reflect the city’s culture and history.
The top part of the shield contains the phrase “RED BULL,” and the bottom part, “NEW YORK,” although the team is actually called New York Red Bulls. This was specifically done to draw attention to Red Bull. The first two words look the same as on the energy drink cans because the designers preserved the proprietary font without changes: Futura SH-Dem Bold, with modified letters “B” and “R.”
The state’s name is written in a smooth sans-serif font. However, the letters “R” and “K” have short strokes at the ends, which could be mistaken for mini-serifs. The letters are narrow, creating the impression of very large gaps between them.
The logo’s color palette matches Red Bull’s 100 percent, so all elements look just like in the original. Designers used yellow (#FFC425) for the sunset, red (#E31351) for the bulls and company name, blue (#002F65) for the multi-component frame, and the phrase “NEW YORK.” The inner part of the shield and the outlines of the animals are white.