BY Armin

In Brief: Columbus’s New Crew?

Before and proposed logo.

After The Crew brought the MLS Cup to Columbus in ‘08, I took a long look at how our team and city will be perceived in the months and seasons to come. We have the best team, coaches, fans, and facilities in the league… but we’re running an emblem that’s 12 years old and in need of some rejuvenation.

So, I propose we revamp the Columbus Crew brand to go with our revamped spirit. The logo you see on this page was created by me as a possible solution. Is it the only solution? No but I think it’s a good start.

The purpose of this group is to catch the attention of Crew management to let them know the movement is out there. It’s not a chastising of our current logo… I appreciate the passion and attachment people feel for the old look. This is simply a refresh. You’ll notice that, in concept, this new logo is almost identical: a shield, featuring 3 “crew” members looking sternly onward. What’s been changed is simply our style of expression. The fonts changed. The illustration is simplified. The appearance is revamped. But the heart is the same.

The intent of this redesign is to SIMPLIFY, STREAMLINE, and STYLIZE.

SIMPLIFY: Get rid of the fussy details in the old dudes and present a clean, iconic illustration for the new.

STREAMLINE: Where sloppiness once was is now a crisp collection of elements working together. Precise outlines and mathematical spacing present the Crew as an uncompromising bunch.

STYLIZE: The Crew should be tough and formidable. Hence the hard angles, structured lettering, and geometric layout.

Thanks to Jarrod Beglinger for the tip.

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Columbus designer and soccer player Gabe Shultz has launched an initiative to change the logo of the 2008 Major League Soccer champions, the Columbus Crew. As one of the original ten teams that started the league in 1996, it has not changed its logo since its inception and Shultz thinks it's time. He has started a Facebook group with all the details. For those of you that prefer not to go into Facebook I have copied some of the images and text below. So, time for a change in crew?

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners