Philadelphia Union Logo

Philadelphia Union Logo PNG

The identity of the American soccer club Philadelphia Union, the logo, and the team name are a reminder of America’s colonialist history. The 13 stars are the 13 colonies. The image of the snake is a tribute to B. Franklin and the national revolutionary symbol of 1754.

Meaning and History

From 2010 until the present, the club had two logos, which differ only in color. They’re aligned with the name Philadelphia Union as they contain graphical references to Philadelphia’s past. They reflect the history of USA independence and key national symbols.

What is Philadelphia Union?

Philadelphia Union is a professional soccer club from the United States based in Philadelphia. It competes in MLS and is a part of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in 2008 and began playing as an expansion franchise in 2010. Its first prestigious achievement was winning the Supporters’ Shield title. The majority owners of the club are Jay Sugarman (chairman) and Kevin Durant.

2010 – 2017

The first Philadelphia Union logo was unveiled on February 28, 2008. Its round shape stands for national unity. There are 13 gold stars on a navy blue ring, and each of them represents one of 13 American colonies. There’s an English heraldic shield with two cups in the upper part in the center of the logo. The same shield is featured on Philadelphia’s flag and stamp.

A horizontal line crosses over the shield, and there’s a rattlesnake under this line. Venomous reptile rolls itself up into a ball and sticks out its forked tongue. This pays homage to a political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin that was published on May 8, 1754. The rattlesnake became a national symbol during the American Revolution, representing the danger of disunity. It was a national symbol of the Union of the Thirteen Colonies and was featured on the Gadsden flag.

The Philadelphia Union logo uses the Union’s official colors, which are gold and navy blue, representing the primary colors of the Continental Army’s uniforms during the American Revolutionary War. The light blue in the middle of the crest is a tribute to the Sons of Ben and is further derived from Philadelphia’s civic flag. Coincidentally, the navy blue, gold, and light blue colors of the Union are also the predominant colors in the state flags of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

There are two words in the upper part of the Philadelphia Union emblem: “Philadelphia” on the wide ring with stars and “Union” on the heraldic shield. The font of the first word is stylized with round cuts, and the font of the second word is geometric without cuts.

2018 – today

In 2018, the team changed their logo initiated by Shaun Kreider, design manager, and Doug Vosik, vice president of marketing. As the Union entered their ninth season, Shaun Kreider knew fans wanted a change and a new spin on the classic Philadelphia Union logo. The designers created a simplifier look: they removed the center white ring, traded their original gold and navy blue for the new brighter and more vibrant shades. They also added a brand-new gold gradient. Blue outlines in the center are gone – the logo features just one lone blue stripe down 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 primary one has always been the rattlesnake. The reptile is coiled inside a triangular shield, sticking out its forked tongue. It radiates tranquility, as its aim is not to intimidate the soccer club’s opponents but to demonstrate the necessity of national unity.

The snake holds significant meaning for the Union of the Thirteen Colonies: it is interpreted as a symbol of danger that can arise from disunity. By the way, the colonies themselves are also represented on the emblem. They are the thirteen stars in the lower half of the ring frame.

The designers developed an original style for the logo and a font for the inscriptions. And not just one, but two: the first for “PHILADELPHIA” and the second for “UNION.” The letters in the city name are bold and geometric and have large serifs with rounded corners. The typeface used for the word “UNION,” on the other hand, contains no serifs. The characters in it are thinner, although still bold.

The first version of the emblem features four symbolic colors: Navy Blue (#002D55), Metallic Gold (#B38707), Signal Blue (#5090CD), and Flat Gold (#B49759). The first two coincide with the colors of the Continental Army uniforms, while the third represents the flag of the city of Philadelphia. After the redesign, the shades changed slightly: the gold became lighter, the blue darker, and the light blue brighter.

Philadelphia Union color codes