Cardiff City FC rebrand changes club colour from blue to red

Cardiff City FC has unveiled a new club crest and shirt design with the club’s colour controversially changing from blue to red.

New Cardiff City FC crest
New Cardiff City FC crest

The colour change was first proposed last month by the club’s Malaysian investors who wanted to increase the club’s visibility abroad.

Now the Championship club, traditionally known as ‘The Bluebirds’ has unveiled a new red kit design by Puma and a new crest carrying the tag line ‘Fire & Passion.’

Cardiff City FC was unable to confirm who was working on the repositioning and branding.

A statement issued by the club says, ‘Cardiff City Football Club will reactivate rebranding proposals with a view to exploiting and maximising its brand and commercial revenues in international markets, which is hoped in turn will bring success to the club locally, whilst also attracting new partners and investors.’

The move comes after the club’s Malaysian investors Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Dato Chan Tien Ghee pledged their future to the club.

New Cardiff City FC home kit (Red) and new away kit (Blue)
New Cardiff City FC home kit (Red) and new away kit (Blue)

Cardiff City chief executive Alan Whitely says, ‘The changes to the home kit and badge introduced as a consequence of the investment package, are designed to help the club to develop its brand and to allow it to expand its appeal to as wide and audience as possible.’

The colour red is ‘widely recognised as being synonymous with Welsh culture and heritage’ with Cardiff the ‘proud capital’ of the country says the club, which claims, ‘The colour also holds strong spiritual significance in Asia where it is seen as a symbol of prosperity power and good fortune.’

It is hoped that ‘a fusion of identities and values will reinforce our strength as a visual brand across both cultures,’ continues the club statement.

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Comments
  • Benjy Stanton November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    I can understand why some people would want Cardiff’s football team to be associated with the welsh dragon, but this is a terrible compromise. I’m pretty sure the fans don’t want this.

  • Aled November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    As a Cardiff CIty fan and as a designer I am saddened by the almost complete lack of care in retaining any of the club’s heritage. I fully understand the owner’s desire to rebrand in order to boost revenue streams. But do it properly, use an agency that that has a track-record of considered design, and for the love of god – don’t use a clip art dragon.

  • Owain Glyndwr November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    £100m investment has been made into the club but the visual identity, the logo has been neglected. All vector elements are freely available to download from various sources online and make a mockery of the Board’s wish to create a dynamic, exciting, international brand.

    Whilst some fans are in disagreement about the change of kit colour they are unanimous that the crest needs to be redesigned by an established design agency, not the current i-house solution. A petition has been created and all designers and football fans are encourage to sign it: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ccfc

  • Debbie Inman November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    It is often said that football clubs are run by football people but there is no excuse for such a disappointing and poor attempt at establishing a brand through it’s brand mark. An investment of £100m to deliver such an ill considered piece of work is insulting to the fan base and undoes all the other hard work I imagine has been done elsewhere.
    Look at the recent work for The Football Association of Wales where they have truly considered what it means to be Welsh to deliver a powerful, dyamic brand we can be proud of… Cardiff City FC I would advise you go back to the drawing board and give the club the identity it deserves otherwise your fans will revolt and what is a club without its fans?

  • Pete Ward November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    The crest looks like an old beer mat for Felinfoel beer circa 1970.

  • Matt Hollands November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    This is such a shame.

    Surely its easier and more cost effective to build and invest on the existing ‘Bluebirds’ brand that has existed for the past 100 years, than create a new one?

    Also the tagline ‘Fire & Passion’ is quite weak, and is combined with a ‘Bluebird’ symbol underneath presents a confused message.

  • Aled Holt November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    The new crest is truly terrible. It fails to achieve what it set out to do. There is no creativity or originality what so ever. The dragon has been taken straight from the welsh flag and the bluebirds is merely an afterthought. It looks amateurish and rushed, which I suspect it is. Cardiff City deserve better.

  • Rob November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    What tosh! One of the most inspiring “brand” truths of C.C is when the fans sing “Hey Blues” to the refrain of “Hey Jude.” I hopefully trust they will keep doing so.

    The dragon fails to differentiate, rather it debases the heritage of the club, manifest, in a major part in the blue and blue bird symbol: a symbol of hope.

  • Dodgy Dave November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Maybe this change will get them promoted back to the top flight?

    That’s probably what the owners believe.

    Stop complaining, it could be worse, you could do a Rangers…

  • tracey rees November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    An awful rebrand that seems to use a clip art dragon as its main image. Surely this reflects badly upon a Welsh club like Cardiff, where there are so many talented designers and art colleges that could do so much better

  • chini November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    as a cardiff city fan, and designer.. this is the biggest joke ever! take a look at the so called designers mocking up there ideas, there even worse! what a laughing stock!!!!!! Swansea got it http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/football-news/2012/06/08/the-great-cardiff-city-emblem-debate-vote-for-your-favourite-design-91466-31136825/right! big time.

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