Roland Garros Logo PNG
The Roland Garros logo embodies the spirit of the tennis tournament. Its asymmetrical design and rounded shapes create a sporty mood by conveying hidden dynamics. Movement is essential in sports. The emblem symbolizes a focus on victory and originally plays with the brand’s name.
Roland Garros traces its name to aviator Roland Garros, born in 1888 on Réunion. In 1913, he completed the first nonstop flight across the Mediterranean. During World War I, he developed a system for firing through a propeller, was captured in 1915, escaped in 1918, and died in combat on October 5, 1918.
Tennis played a minor role in his life. The link to sport appeared later, when a new stadium in Paris required naming a national hero.
The French Championships began in 1891 at Racing Club de France in Boulogne-Billancourt. For decades, the event remained closed to foreign players. In 1925, it became an international tournament and was added to the Grand Slam as one of the four majors, alongside Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
In 1927, France, led by Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, René Lacoste, and Jean Borotra, defeated the United States in the Davis Cup. A larger venue was needed to host the 1928 defense. Land near the Racing Club was granted on condition that the stadium carry Garros’s name.
The new complex opened in 1928, where France again beat the United States. Roland Garros became the tournament’s permanent home. Its clay surface, made from crushed brick, slowed the ball and favored long rallies, unlike grass at Wimbledon or hard courts at the US Open.
Among players, Rafael Nadal won the title 14 times between 2005 and 2022. Novak Djokovic won three titles. In women’s tennis, Chris Evert held a long-standing record, while Steffi Graf won six titles and completed the Golden Slam in 1988.
The venue expanded in 2001. In 2021, Court Philippe-Chatrier received a retractable roof, and a new court named after Simonne Mathieu was added. Roland Garros remains the only Grand Slam played on clay.
Meaning and History
Roland Garros is a major tennis tournament and the name of the stadium where it is held. Another name for the championship is the French Open. The annual competitions first began in 1891, and in 1925, they became open to international players. However, its famous logo did not appear until 1987. The orange-green print with white elements embodies the spirit of the tournament, as its shape resembles a tennis ball. In 2009, the recognizable symbol was changed, but not significantly: the designers preserved the brand’s identity and just slightly adjusted the letters.
What is Roland Garros?
Roland Garros (also known as the French Open) is an annual international tennis tournament held on open clay courts in Paris, France. The venue for the competitions is the stadium named after the legendary aviator. The prestigious tournament started in 1891.
1987 – 2009
Few people know that the identity “Roland Garros” was created by the French creative agency Dragon Rouge. Designers made the logo round to resemble a seal and a tennis ball. Inside was an orange circle with a thin white border. It served as the base for the white letter “G,” supplemented by four diagonal stripes, two on top and two at the bottom. Against the white elements appeared an orange letter “R.” Only its right side was visible, as the developers used negative space and did not outline the letter with contours.
The central part was framed by a dark green circle bearing the inscriptions “ROLAND GARROS” (at the top) and “PARIS” (at the bottom). All letters are uppercase, but the designers shortened the city’s name to focus on the tournament. The elegant, contrasting font with long serifs looked appropriate because it had internal dynamics, and movement is associated with sports.
2009 – today
The 2009 redesign affected the inscriptions and, accordingly, influenced the elements used to create negative space. As a result, the shape of the white diagonal stripes was slightly changed to emphasize the new contours of the letter “R.” The adjacent letter “G” also looks different and is positioned differently: it has become more balanced and visually heavier.
But the most significant changes occurred with the text in the circle. The designers enlarged the word “PARIS,” but it is still smaller than the phrase “ROLAND GARROS.” They also made the letters thicker and removed some serifs to create asymmetry. The colors remained unchanged: the inner circle is orange with an ocher hue, and the outer frame is dark green.
Font and Colors
All inscriptions on the Roland Garros logo are set in the “Le Monde Livre” font, which was designed by Jean-François Porchez prices for this font range from 146 to 327 euros.
It is considered the ancestor of play on clay courts. The developers of the Roland Garros logo focused on the color of the clay and marked it with white stripes, as on the stadium.
The courts are surrounded by trees and lawns, whose green color appeared on the Roland Garros logo created in 1987. Before that, various posters, instead of a logo, were used to announce the tournament.