The Roland Garros logo represents the spirit of the tennis tournament. Its asymmetric design and round forms create a sporty mood because they have a hidden dynamic. Movement is what sports are unthinkable without. The emblem symbolizes the focus on winning and originally plays with the brand name.
Roland Garros: Brand overview
Founded: | 1891 |
Headquarters: |
Paris, France |
Website: | rolandgarros.com |
French pilot Roland Garros had a mediocre attitude to tennis. Occasionally he was selected simply to ‘wave the racket’. Actually, professionally he played rugby at the stadium “Stade de France”, where the first tennis tournament was held in 1891. During the First World War, he shot down four aircraft and became a hero of France. In 1928, the courts for the Davis Cup game between France and the United States received his name. It can be explained by the fact that the number of tennis players couldn’t fit into the “Stade de France”, and the Paris Athletic Union gave them a permission to allocate land only if the stadium is named after Roland Garros.
Every year the draw game is held in Paris. In 2010, due to the huge expansion, there was an idea to move the “Helmet” to Versailles. The city description was even depicted on the logo, but the point was quickly forgotten.
Meaning and History
Roland Garros is a major tennis tournament, and the stadium where it is held. Another name for the championship is the French Open. The annual competition first began in 1891, and in 1925 it became open to international players. However, its famous logo did not appear until 1987. The orange-green print with white elements represents the tournament’s spirit, as it is shaped like a tennis ball. In 2009, the recognizable symbol was changed, but not much: the designers retained the brand’s identity and only slightly corrected the letters.
What is Roland Garros?
Roland Garros (also known as the French Open) is an annual international tennis tournament held on outdoor clay courts in the French capital. The venue for the event is the eponymous stadium, named after the legendary aviator. The prestigious tournament began in 1891.
1987 – 2009
Few people know about this, but the creator of the Roland Garros identity was the creative agency Dragon Rouge from France. The designers made the logo round to resemble a seal and a tennis ball in shape. Inside was an orange circle with a thin white border. It served as the basis for the white letter “G,” which was complemented by four diagonal stripes – two at the top and two at the bottom. Against the background of white elements, an orange “R” appeared. At the same time, only its right side was guessed because the developers used negative space and did not highlight the letter with contours.
The central part was surrounded by a frame in the form of a green ring with the inscription “ROLAND GARROS” (above) and “PARIS” (below). All letters were capitalized, but the designers shortened the city’s name to emphasize the tournament. The elegant, contrasting typeface with long serifs looked appropriate because it had an internal dynamic, and the movement is associated with sports.
2009 – today
The 2009 redesign was reflected in the lettering and consequently affected the elements used to create the negative space. As a result, the shape of the white diagonal stripes has been slightly modified to highlight the new “R” outlines. The “G” next to it also looks different: it has become more balanced and visually heavy.
But the biggest transformation has occurred in the text in the ring. The designers enlarged the word “PARIS,” although even after that, it is inferior in size to the phrase “ROLAND GARROS.” They also made the letters thicker and removed some serifs to create asymmetry. The colors have not changed: the inner circle is orange with a hint of ocher, and the outer frame is dark green.
Font and Colors
All the inscriptions on the Roland Garros logo are made in the font “Le Monde Livre”, which was invented by Jean-Francois Porsche. Prices for this font range from 146 to 327 euros.
It is considered to be the birthplace of the ground courts game. The developers of the Roland Garros logo placed an emphasis on the clay color and marked it with white stripes, as in a stadium.
The courts are surrounded by trees and lawns, the green color of which appeared on the logo of Roland Garros, created in 1987. Before that, various posters were used for the announcement of the tournament instead of the logo.
Roland Garros color codes
Brown | Hex color: | #b06835 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 176 104 53 | |
CMYK: | 0 41 70 31 | |
Pantone: | PMS 471 C |
Green | Hex color: | #06492d |
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RGB: | 6 73 45 | |
CMYK: | 92 0 38 71 | |
Pantone: | PMS 3425 C |