The Scottish Premiership logo is associated with the spirit of competition, fans’ passion, and the unique atmosphere of local football. The league brings together teams with history and ambitious newcomers, and each season becomes a challenge to earn a place at the top.
Scottish Premiership: Brand overview
The history of Scotland’s top football division, now known as the Scottish Premiership, began in 1890 with the formation of the Scottish Football League. From the start, the league brought structure and excitement to domestic football, quickly becoming popular among fans. Teams from Glasgow rose to prominence, leading to the fierce rivalry known as the Old Firm between Celtic and Rangers, capturing national attention. Despite early challenges, including wartime interruptions, football thrived in the following decades, seeing improvements in stadiums and higher attendance. Introducing promotion and relegation further energized competition, giving smaller clubs opportunities to compete at higher levels. The post-war years marked significant success, especially with Celtic winning the European Cup, which brought international recognition to Scottish football. Later league restructurings, including the creation of the Scottish Premier League, brought commercial growth, improving the financial stability of clubs. Eventually, the merger into the Scottish Professional Football League further modernized league management and introduced playoffs, creating exciting season finales. Recent innovations, like VAR, have helped keep the league current and competitive, while advancements in infrastructure and broadcasting continue to increase its visibility. The enduring rivalry between major clubs and passionate supporters ensures that Scottish football maintains its unique character.
Meaning and History
What is Scottish Premiership?
This is the main football championship in Scotland, where the twelve strongest clubs compete for the championship title. The tournament is held in several stages: first, the teams play three rounds. Then, they are divided into two groups – one competes for the title and access to European tournaments, and the other fights for the right to stay in the league. The competition is known for many years of confrontations, including the famous derby between the two largest clubs in the country. The atmosphere at the matches is always special – loyal fans create bright shows, supporting their teams with traditional Scottish music and bagpipes.
2013 – today
The Scottish Premiership logo appeared in 2013 when the professional soccer league with the highest-level competitions in Scotland was organized. The league symbol consists of a stylized image of a lion and the bold inscription “SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP,” arranged horizontally next to each other.
The lion in the logo faces left; the animal’s profile is minimalistic, outlining only the essential contours that convey its character. The mane is formed from smooth, carefully curved lines executed in dark blue and gold colors. The lion’s silhouette gives an impression of power and confidence, while the gold reinforces the tournament’s prestigious status. An interesting detail is a fragment of a soccer ball in the negative space of the lion’s mane. The ball panels resemble five-pointed stars; the ball lacks a clear boundary and is only partially illustrated, with just the lower-left portion suggested.
The textual part uses large uppercase letters in a classic serif typeface. The text is divided into two lines, with the upper line, “SCOTTISH,” smaller than the lower line, “PREMIERSHIP.” The spacing between letters is balanced, making the text readable and harmoniously integrated with the symbol. The font highlights the league’s sporting affiliation and official nature.
The emblem uses two colors: the primary dark blue, which covers the lion and letters, and an additional gold color that emphasizes certain curves of the mane and tail.
2015 – 2020
The Scottish soccer league logo featuring the first sponsor, Ladbrokes, appeared in 2015 and was used until 2020. The overall style of the symbol remained consistent, although certain details changed.
The lion in the logo still faces left, is depicted in profile, and maintains its recognizable silhouette, with the mane structured from soft, flowing curves. In this updated version, the golden color of the mane was replaced by a bright red shade, emphasizing the link to sponsor Ladbrokes. The betting company traditionally uses red branding, symbolizing excitement and sporting intensity. Black is used for the outline and primary details of the lion and ball, providing contrast and balance.
A soccer ball is created using negative space at the bottom of the lion’s mane. Instead of star-shaped panels, the ball consists of classic pentagonal segments organically integrated into the lines of the lion’s mane and tail.
The sponsor’s name, “Ladbrokes,” is executed in a slanted sans-serif font. The lowercase letters are softly curved and slightly tilted forward, conveying the sporting spirit and competitive energy. The word “PREMIERSHIP,” on the other hand, appears in uppercase letters with a strict classic serif font in black, emphasizing the tournament’s official nature. Both words are placed to the right of the lion symbol and aligned to the left, creating a balanced horizontal composition.
The logo featuring the Ladbrokes symbolized the period of partnership between the soccer league and bookmakers, who became the first title sponsors of the competition.
2021 – 2024
With the new logo in 2021, the Scottish soccer league began collaborating with Cinch, a British online used car retailer, providing convenient and transparent car buying conditions online. The tournament’s symbolism also changed: the lion’s style remained unchanged, but the color palette and design underwent significant updates.
The lion, facing left, occupies the left portion of the symbol and retains its recognizable silhouette, marked by flowing lines in the mane and profile. The main color is deep purple, while the previous red shade was replaced with vibrant accents of blue and pink. The colors are arranged to create a gentle gradient effect, refreshing the overall appearance and linking the logo with the online retailer’s style, which uses a similar palette.
The textual part of the logo is divided into two lines on the right. The upper line contains the new sponsor name, “cinch,” executed in a soft, sans-serif font with rounded, elongated lowercase letters. The letter “i” stands out uniquely: a separate blue circle is placed above it. The second part of the word “PREMIERSHIP” is written in uppercase letters with a strict, bold font, placed inside a contrasting purple rectangle, and displayed in white.
The purple shade dominates and unifies the symbol and text, while the bright blue and pink in the lion’s mane and logo details reference the modern, digital character of the sponsor company. During this period, the league’s logo emphasizes partnership with a young, tech-savvy brand that offers a convenient approach to car buying, linking soccer tradition with contemporary trends.
2024 – today
In 2024, the Scottish soccer league gained a new title sponsor, international bookmaker William Hill. Along with the partnership, the tournament emblem was updated. The general symbol, the lion, was designed in new shades: deep, dark blue and gold.
The lion in the logo is turned to the left, and the animal’s profile is depicted dynamically. The mane consists of wavy lines, visually resembling smooth curls that enhance the feeling of energy. The lion’s mouth is slightly open, and its facial details are shown minimally, yet with a lively and energetic feel. The current lion image closely resembles the original version adopted in 2013.
To the right of the lion is the sponsor’s brand name, “William Hill,” consisting of two parts with entirely different fonts. The word “William” appears in a calligraphic style with ornate lines, curls, and slanted letters, suggesting the company’s long history and traditions dating back to 1934. “HILL” is written completely differently in bold, strict sans-serif letters in dark blue.
Below is a block with the inscription “PREMIERSHIP.” The block is shaped as a rectangle with rounded corners and is colored gold. Inside, the tournament name is written in white, uppercase letters with a geometric font. This emphasizes the tournament’s official status and the seriousness of the athletic competition.
The logo skillfully combines classical style with current sporting accents. The colors (dark blue and gold) emphasize William Hill’s reputation as one of the oldest and most renowned brands in sports betting, making the tournament logo simultaneously recognizable and solid.