Title and invincibility reflect the logo of Real Madrid, the Spanish soccer team, represented by bright and memorable graphics. The commitment to the city’s history, its royal status, and the club’s status acquired over the last hundred years are echoed on the emblem.
Real Madrid: Brand overview
Founded: | 6 March 1902 |
Headquarters: |
Madrid, Spain |
Website: | realmadrid.com |
On March 6, 1902, a group of like-minded footballers formally founded the Madrid Football Club, preceded by another team Football Sky at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Real Madrid is one of the few soccer teams that has never left the Primera Division, the highest tournament of the Liga de Futbol Profesional. According to the Federation Internationale de Football Association, this is the best football club of the 20th century. It is the record holder of the UEFA Champions League and the titled winner of many competitions held in Spain and other countries.
Meaning and History
Some people think that the famous crown on the Real Madrid logo reflects his sporting success. Of course, the team’s reputation is determined by the triumphant wins because back in the 1950s, it has established itself as a football superpower. And the furor created is inscribed in the very DNA of the club, expressed in a simple and confident emblem. But the corporate identity of Real Madrid was rather influenced by political factors since its chronology dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
The first logo of Real Madrid was a banal mix of the club’s initials: the blue M, C, and F letters were written on a white background. It should be noted that the team often performed under the city emblem, which was required under the rules of most football competitions at the beginning of the century. It is a mistake to add the attribution of the city’s coat of arms to the history of Madrid, although the rules for holding official competitions of that time obliged the club to use the city’s emblem.
The Real Madrid logo changes were made in 1908. As a result, the city coat of arms became the progenitor of the modern club’s logo. First (in 1908), the club’s initials were imposed on the shield borrowed from the city – so that is how the logo of Galacticos got circles of blue.
June 29, 1920, Spanish King Alfonso XIII awarded Madrid the royal title – “Real.” On the club’s logo, this event was reflected by a crown’s appearance identical to the city coat of arms. In official matches, the team still performed under the stylized city logo.
The revolution that overthrew King Alfonso XIII marked the formation of the Second Spanish Republic. In the period from 1931 to 1939, the team was called the football club “Madrid” again, and the logo lost the crown because of the prohibition to use the symbols of monarchical items. At the same time, the Real Madrid logo got a strip of purple hue, symbolizing the region of Castile, in whose territory modern Madrid is located.
The end of the civil war and the establishment of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco returned Madrid the royal status and the crown for the Galacticos logo. Also, the Real Madrid emblem was redesigned and finally became colorful with the emblem golden tones. The Castilian strip was saved on the Real Madrid logo.
In this form, the Real Madrid logo served for more than five decades, undergoing minor changes at the turn of the century. At the beginning of the century, the coat of arms of Madrid took its final form. Before starting building “Galaktikos,” bosses of the club in Madrid maximized the letter M. Also, they made the strip blue, totally getting rid of the purple color.
Having opened a new chapter of history, Madrid has perfected the logo, which has received a modern look, corresponding to the status of the best club of the twentieth century.
What is Real Madrid?
Real Madrid is a Spanish professional soccer team from Madrid, playing in the top division, La Liga. It is recognized as one of the most famous teams on the international stage, boasting a large number of awards. The club achieved most of its victories in the 1950s and 1960s, establishing itself as a vanguard of European soccer. By 2021, it had become the second largest in the world and, in 2022, the most valuable. The club was founded in 1902, and its home stadium is Santiago Bernabeu.
1902 – 1908
On March 6, 1902, Madrid Football Club was founded by several like-minded football players. Its progenitor is considered to be Football Sky, created in 1896. The first logo of the new sports organization was a dark blue monogram. The artists combined the initial letters from the Spanish team name Madrid Club de Futbol: “M,” “C,” and “F.” They were originally intertwined: inside the large “C” was a medium-sized “M,” merging with the “F.” The knit looked chaotic because the designers did not take into account the harmony of forms and proportions.
Along with the monogram, the Madrid City Hall coat of arms was used, as required by the football competitions of the time. But the city symbol was not included in the official history of Real Madrid emblems because it was common to all local clubs.
1908 – 1920
1908 saw the first changes in the Madrid FC corporate identity. The initials of the team have been preserved but have acquired a new shape. The developers have noticeably enlarged and rounded the letter “M.” On the other hand, “C” was made smaller and placed in the center, between the side legs of “M.” The smallest letter – “F” – was positioned to intersect with the bottom edge of “C.”
Judging by the round blue frame in which the monogram was located, the city coat of arms became the logo’s progenitor. As far as is known, the football team’s initials were first superimposed on a rectangular shield with a rounded base and dark blue edging. Then the designers changed their shape, choosing the circle.
1920 – 1931
The second version of the logo was relevant until 1920 when Pedro Parages took over as president. It was then that the large blue and white monarchical crown first appeared in the drawing. This mark is because the football team has received official approval from Alfonso XIII. To celebrate the royal court’s patronage, the club changed its name to Real Madrid: the word “Real” translates as “Royal” and emphasizes the connection with the crowned person. In some matches, as before, the city’s coat of arms continued to be used.
1931 – 1941
After the overthrow of King Alfonso XIII and the entire Spanish monarchy, the emblem creators removed the crown because the post-revolutionary government banned such symbols. In doing so, they left a blue ring, centered the letters, and placed a wide purple stripe inside the circle. The diagonal line symbolized Castile, where modern Madrid is located.
1941 – 1997
In 1941 the civil war ended, and the club returned the crown to the emblem. The artists depicted her in a golden palette, with blue, red, and white gems. The ring and letters are also golden. The Castilian stripe has been preserved – it has been unwrapped a little and made purple.
1997 – 2001
The 1997 version differs from the previous only in the color scheme. Gold turned yellow, bright red became pale, and purple turned dark blue.
2001 – today
The final version of the logo was presented in 2001. It has a wider “M,” a narrow and shortened diagonal stripe, a crown slightly raised above the ring. The base color is yellow, with all elements surrounded by dark blue outlines.
Font and Colors
The current brand name is consistent with the status of the best club of the 20th century and is used to promote Real Madrid as a brand. It reflects all the symbols that the team has acquired over the past hundred years: the crown received with the light hand of Alfonso XIII, and the abbreviation “MCF,” derived from the first name Madrid Club de Futbol, and the Castilian stripe.
When creating the logo, the designers neglected the existing fonts and used only their imagination to make the monogram unique. “C” looks standard, “F” has shortened horizontal strokes, “M” is noticeably rounded. The palette contains red (# EE324E), blue (# 00529F), and yellow (# FEBE10).
Real Madrid color codes
Yellow | Hex color: | #febe10 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 254 190 16 | |
CMYK: | 0 25 94 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7549 C |
Blue | Hex color: | #00529f |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 82 159 | |
CMYK: | 100 48 0 38 | |
Pantone: | PMS 2945 C |
Red | Hex color: | #ee324e |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 238 50 78 | |
CMYK: | 0 79 67 7 | |
Pantone: | PMS 1787 C |