Porto Logo

Porto Logo PNG

The logo of Porto, the most famous Portuguese club, is colorful and full of elements. The main colors borrowed from the Royal House, the heraldry symbolizes the commitment to the country and history. The formidability, strength, and power reflect the dragon.

An emblem of a Porto football club is filled with a huge number of elements. There you can see the tower, the dragon, and the Virgin Mary. But in fact, everything is not so complicated as it might seem to be.

Meaning and History

Porto’s logo was quite simple. It consisted of the blue and white soccer ball that looked more like the globe (pay attention to the peculiar “meridians”), in the middle of which the abbreviation FCP was adorned.

The only serious rebranding was done in Porto in 1922. The coat of arms of Porto’s city (the image of the Virgin Mary) and the coat of arms of Portugal (with the castle towers on it) were added to the team’s logo. All of it also frames the coat of arms of Portugal – eight Moorish castles, which Portugal won during the Reconquista.

But the most significant logo change was the addition of the inscription Invicta (invincible) and the image of the dragon. From that time, Port was nicknamed “the dragons.”

In general, despite the accumulation of elements in the logo, there are not so many of them: two emblems, the inscription, and the dragon. Surprisingly, since that time, the logo has not been visibly changed. Many designers suggest Porto new versions of the emblem, but the leaders of the “dragons” refuse all offerings. Some of them have a very stylish and modern look!

But the leaders and fans of “Porto” are too conservative to change their already based emblem to a new and stylish one.

What is Porto?

Porto is the abbreviated name for the Portuguese professional soccer club FC Porto. Based in the city of the same name, the club was founded in 1893 by Antonio Nicolau de Almeida. Over time, the team reached the top division (Primeira Liga) and became the second most decorated club in the country, with 83 trophies. Its home stadium is Estadio do Dragao.

1893 – 1896, 1906 – 1910

Nobody knows exactly when the first logo of FC Porto appeared. It is generally known only that at the time of the club’s foundation (1893), it did not exist yet – it was only developed in the 20th century. Most sources point to 1900 as the correct date.

The debut graphic symbol consisted of a white monogram and a dark blue circle. These colors were chosen because they symbolize tranquility and peace. The intertwined letters “F,” “C,” and “P” were taken from the full name of the Portuguese team: Futebol Clube Porto.

1910 – 1922

In 1910, the logo was simplified: the original monogram turned into a regular abbreviation and the circle – into a soccer ball. This allowed the club’s initials to be indicated and the type of sport in which it competes to be designated.

1922 – 1995

Twelve years later, a very complex emblem replaced the simple one. It was designed by one of the players – Augusto Baptista Ferreira. The footballer, who also turned out to be a decent artist, combined the previous graphic symbol with state symbols after a board meeting. To do this, the ball had to be turned over, and the letters “FCP” moved down to free up space for new elements.

The top of the logo was taken by two coats of arms: of the city of Porto and the state of Portugal. The designer did not just copy them – he combined different symbols in one drawing. The long chain of wreaths, towers, and swords, taken from the city coat of arms, is a special national award. On the football team’s emblem, it frames a rectangular shield divided into four parts. Two of them depict Mary with baby Jesus, and the other two – the royal coat of arms.

On top is a crown, which at the time was a symbol of the city of Porto. Right inside it sits a green dragon. The mythical creature holds a ribbon with the Latin inscription “INVICTA” (translated as “unconquered”).

1995 – 2002

The legendary emblem was so appreciated by the club’s leadership that they decided not to change it even after 70 years. Artists just added vibrant colors and depicted a more human version of the Virgin Mary in place of the statue. The dragon also started to look different, as gradients were no longer used in the design. The letters at the bottom of the ball developed faint serifs.

2002 – 2010

At the beginning of the 21st century, the FC Porto logo was modernized again. Designers changed the color of the towers and the crown: if they were previously rich yellow, now they were turned orange. As a result, the drawing doesn’t seem too bright. The dragon remained, although it long disappeared from the city’s coat of arms. A small orange flame bursts out of the mouth of the fire-breathing creature.

2010 – 2017

In 2010, an attempt was made to modernize the emblem. For this, artists used new color design techniques. As a result, the football ball got a blue gradient, making it look three-dimensional. A smooth transition from dark orange to light orange gave the crown a shimmer.

The dragon is also painted in several shades of green, which was not observed before. The five-pointed star above the letter “C” is now entirely orange – bright yellow has completely left the logo. In addition, the designers added blue shadows to some elements: this applies to the towers and wreaths around the shield.

2017 – today

After another redesign, the football ball was darkened. At the same time, the invisible light source shifted: if before the bright spot was directly in the center, now it is slightly to the right.

Font and Colors

The FC Porto emblem interestingly plays with the main symbols of the country and city. They are combined with the old graphic sign of the team, on which a ball with the inscription “FCP” was depicted until 1922. Since the original logo appeared, almost a hundred years have passed. During this time, the Porto coat of arms changed: the dragon disappeared from it in 1940. But the club decided to leave this historical image in its previous place.

As a result, the dragon, as many years ago, languidly lies inside the crown and holds a ribbon with the inscription “INVICTA.” Perhaps such conservatism is associated with the fact that the home stadium of the footballers is called Estádio do Dragão, and they themselves are nicknamed Dragões.

The abbreviation “FCP” is unremarkable: it is written in a standard font without serifs. The designers focused not on the design of the letters but on the graphic part, so they chose a combination of five main colors: blue (#00428C), white (#FFFFFF), red (#D60019), green (#009634), and gold (#E9B245). Each of them, except for white, has several gradient shades.

Porto color codes