Philadelphia Union Logo PNG
The corporate style of the American soccer club Philadelphia Union, including its logo and team name, reflects America’s colonial history. The 13 stars represent the 13 colonies. The snake image is a tribute to B. Franklin and the national revolutionary symbol of 1754.
The Philadelphia Union is an American professional soccer team based in Chester, Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia statistical area. The club began playing in 2010 as an expansion team. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the league’s Eastern Conference.
Major League Soccer added Philadelphia as its sixteenth team on February 28, 2008. MLS transferred the franchise to Keystone Sports & Entertainment. The club’s creation resulted from a $47 million project approved by Delaware County politicians and the Governor of Pennsylvania, which included funding for the “Talen Energy” stadium and a major city reconstruction project.
For most of 2008 and early 2009, the club operated as MLS Philadelphia 2010. Fans chose the name in a poll conducted from January 19, 2009, to February 6, 2009. Fans chose from four options: “Philadelphia Union,” “Philadelphia City,” “SC Philadelphia,” and “AC Philadelphia.” On May 11, 2009, the city’s mayor officially announced the club’s name, “Philadelphia Union,” at a ceremony held at Philadelphia City Hall.
The name “Philadelphia Union” reflects America’s rich colonial history. It’s a reminder of the union of thirteen British colonies that declared independence and formed the USA. Philadelphia was the first capital of this union. It’s no surprise that the team’s colors are navy blue and gold, which symbolize the Continental Army’s main colors during the American Revolutionary War.
Keystone Sports & Entertainment owns the Philadelphia Union. Nick Sakiewicz led the group of owners until October 2, 2015, when he left due to strained relations with the Union’s fanbase. Jay Sugarman, CEO of iStar Financial, took over. Other investors included David Seltzer, Richard Leibovitch, Joseph J. Greco, David B. Pollin, Robert Buccini, and Christopher F. Buccini.
Meaning and History
Since 2010, the club has used two logos that differ only in color. They reflect the name “Philadelphia Union” with graphic references to Philadelphia’s past. They reflect U.S. independence and key national symbols.
What is Philadelphia Union?
Philadelphia Union is a professional soccer club based in Philadelphia, USA. It competes in MLS’s Eastern Conference. The club was founded in 2008 and began playing as an expansion franchise in 2010. The club’s first prestigious achievement was winning the Supporters’ Shield. The club’s primary owners are Jay Sugarman (Chairman of the Board of Directors) and Kevin Durant.
2010 – 2017
The first “Philadelphia Union” logo was introduced on February 28, 2008. Its circular shape symbolizes national unity. The navy blue ring features 13 gold stars, each symbolizing one of the 13 American colonies. At the center of the logo is an English heraldic shield with two cups at the top. Philadelphia’s flag and seal depict the same shield.
A horizontal line runs through the shield, below which a rattlesnake is depicted. The venomous reptile coils up and sticks out its forked tongue. This tribute honors Benjamin Franklin’s political cartoon published on May 8, 1754. The rattlesnake became a national symbol during the American Revolution, embodying the danger of disunity. It became a national symbol of the United States of America and appears on the Gadsden flag.
The “Philadelphia Union” logo uses the Union’s official colors, gold and navy blue, which symbolize the primary colors of the Continental Army’s uniform during the American Revolutionary War. The light blue field at the center of the crest pays tribute to “Ben’s Sons” and derives from Philadelphia’s civic flag. Coincidentally, the navy blue, gold, and light blue of the Union are also the dominant colors of the flags of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
At the top of the Union’s emblem are two words: “Philadelphia” on the wide ring with stars and “Union” on the heraldic shield. The first word uses a stylized font with round cutouts, while the second uses a geometric font without cutouts.
2018 – today
In 2018, the team changed its logo at the initiative of design manager Sean Cryder and Vice President of Marketing Doug Vosik. As the “Union” entered its ninth season, Sean Cryder knew that fans wanted change and a new approach to the classic “Philadelphia Union” logo. Designers simplified the look by removing the central white ring and replacing the gold and navy blue with brighter, more saturated shades. They also added an entirely new gold gradient. The central blue outlines disappeared, and the logo now has a single blue stripe in the center. The shapes and geometry of the other elements remained the same.
Font and Colors
Despite the importance of all elements of the “Philadelphia Union” logo, the rattlesnake has always been the main one. The reptile is coiled inside a triangular shield, its forked tongue sticking out. It exudes calmness, as its goal is not to frighten the football club’s opponents but to demonstrate the need for national unity.
The snake is significant for the Union of Thirteen Colonies: it’s interpreted as a symbol of the danger that can arise from disunity. The emblem also represents the colonies themselves. These are the thirteen stars in the lower half of the circular frame.
Designers developed an original style for the logo and the inscription font. And not one, but two: one for “PHILADELPHIA” and one for “UNION.” The letters in the city name are bold and geometric, with large serifs and rounded corners. By contrast, the “UNION” font lacks serifs. The characters in it are thinner but still bold.
The first version of the emblem uses four symbolic colors: Navy Blue (#002D55), Metallic Gold (#B38707), Signal Blue (#5090CD), and Flat Gold (#B49759). The first two match the colors of the Continental Army’s uniform, while the third represents Philadelphia’s city flag. After the redesign, the shades changed slightly: the gold became lighter, the blue darker, and the light blue brighter.