A B-Side BY Armin

Cardiff City FC

Founded in 1899, Cardiff City FC, known as the “Bluebirds,” are a professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales in the English football league system. After being in debt for many years, a Malaysian businessman took over. This month, a new crest with a big dragon sitting on top of a bluebird was introduced, as well as a change in uniforms with red taking over blue as the home version. Pissing-off of soccer fans ensued. Story here.

Thanks to Brett Stone for first tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Seagram’s Gingerly New Look

Originally owned by the now defunct Seagram Company Ltd, Seagram’s is a line of mixers and the more well known ginger ales owned and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company, which acquired its rights in 2002. Seagram’s Ginger Ale was a staple at the Brooklyn-based headquarters of UnderConsideration from 2007 to 2009 and since moving to Texas, where Seagram’s is not available, we’ve had to settle for, like, water. Digression aside, Coca-Cola Company has been expanding Seagram’s marketing and distribution in recent years and their latest move is a complete overhaul of the identity and packaging, designed by San Francisco, CA-based Hatch.

Continue reading this entry

A B-Side BY Armin

University of Southern California

Established in 1880, the University of Southern California counts with 37,000 enrolled students. A new identity has been designed by Pentagram partner DJ Stout in Austin, TX. Press release here. A quick overview of the identity guidelines can be found here [PDF].

Thanks to Alberto G. Manuel for the tip.

Guest Opinion by John J. Custer Posted BY Brand New

A Mean Pegasus

Korinthos FC’s history began in the 1950s with the merger of two Greek teams of Corinth: Olympiakos Korinthos and A.E. Korinthos. Since then the team has powered through two more mergers combining the power of Aris Korinthos in 1964 and more recently joining forces with Pankorinthiakos in 2000. Since 2000, Korinthos FC has been competing in Greece’s semi-professional league Delta Ethniki, until 2010 when it was promoted to Gamma Ethniki (Football League 2), Greece’s third highest professional football league. With such fast growth and communal fans the football club was in need of a visual breath of fresh air that Portland, OR-based EIGHTDAY provided.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

Montreal Impact Earns a Crest

The Montreal Impact first played soccer in 1993 in the American Professional Soccer League. Despite finishing last in their inaugural season, they went on to win the championship the following one. They have been a staple of Canadian soccer ever since, most recently playing the in the North American Soccer League, and next year they will bump up to the big league as the latest expansion team of Major League Soccer. This, of course, warrants a new logo, designed by Montreal-based Pigeon*, who also designed the previous logo.

Continue reading this entry

A B-Side BY Armin

Wichita Wings

Originally an indoor soccer team that played from 1979 to 2001, the Wichita Wings are getting a second chance and will begin playing in the 2011 – 12 season of MISL. Story here.

In other news: when Whataburger called to get its logo back, it did.

Thanks to J. Jason Smith for the tip.

A B-Side BY Armin

North American Soccer League

Set to begin play this week, on April 9, the North American Soccer League (NASL) is a new, second-tier (to the MSL), men’s soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, consisting of eight teams. The NASL previously existed from 1968 to 1984 and the new logo is based on the last one used by the league. The new identity has been designed by 343RLP+ Creative Group. Brief story here.

Thanks to Roy Levitt for the tip.

A B-Side BY Armin

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Prior to the 2011 season known as Miami FC, the newly renamed Fort Lauderdale Strikers are a soccer team that play in the North American Soccer League. The new identity has been designed by 343RLP+ Creative Group. Press release here.

Thanks to Roy Levitt for the tip.

Opinion BY Clinton Duncan

Old School goes New School, Sort of

Established in 1850, the University of Sydney is Australia’s first and oldest University. Here we have what’s known as a “sandstone university,” — an unofficial moniker attached to those institutions regarded as the older, and more prestigious — it’s like using “Ivy League” as a shorthand for privilege, class, establishment, achievement, etc. In a rather long-distance collaboration, the University was rebranded last year/early this year by Lippman Hearne in Chicago, who created the strategy and logo, and Moon Sydney, who handled the identity.

Continue reading this entry

In Brief BY Armin

In Brief: February Miscellany

Today you are getting another miscellany because of a major snowstorm in Austin, TX — three quarters of an inch! — that will put both of my daughters at home all day so every minute counts and must be optimized, meaning I can’t spend the necessary time on a proper review this morning. Still, some juicy things to keep you entertained this Friday.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

The Ryder Cup gets a Crest

First played in 1927 and named after English seed merchant Samuel Ryder, the Ryder Cup, organized jointly by Ryder Cup Europe and PGA, is a biennial golf tournament that pits twelve-player teams of Europe and United States against each other — the U.S. counts with 25 wins against Europe’s 8. The venue for the Ryder Cup alternates between European and American cities with the last having been played at Newport, Wales in 2010 and the upcoming one at Medinah, Illinois in 2012. This week the Ryder Cup announced a new logo designed by Interbrand.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

The Kansas City Wizards’ Last Trick

As one of the original ten teams in the inaugural season of the U.S.’s Major League Soccer in 1996, the Kansas City Wizards is one of the most established teams in the league, winning the MLS Cup in 2000. Originally named Kansas City Wiz (no ards and featuring a super retro logo at the time) the team changed its name in 1997 and last week it announced that it wasn’t messing with iterations of the word wizard anymore and instead it was changing to Sporting Kansas City. This coincides with the move to a snazzy new stadium in 2011, bringing to an apex the changes ushered by new ownership that began in 2006.

Continue reading this entry

Opinion BY Armin

A More Royal Royal Opera House

Nestled in bustling Covent Garden, the Royal Opera House is home to The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. In its third structural incarnation since 1732 — two previous buildings were burned in fires in 1808 and 1856 — the Royal Opera House is a preeminent international performing arts venue but, unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of its crest, which looks like it has survived its own set of fires.

Continue reading this entry