Aston Villa the New Crest?

This case study delves into the world of football, focusing on Aston Villa’s decision to conduct a review of their visual representation. When the club announced their intention, 6,500 fans registered their interest in participating in the process. The open brief outlined their objectives: “We want to examine elements including the crest’s shape, the way we showcase our unique name, and how we use our colours as powerfully as possible to represent our modern-day club with such a rich heritage” (Aston Villa Football Club, 2022).

This project marked a significant change in the football branding landscape following the introduction of new FA guidance in 2022. According to this guidance, clubs must undertake thorough consultation processes with supporters before making material changes to traditional elements such as the club crest or recognised home shirt colours (Dragon Rogue, 2023). A year later, despite a successful season on the pitch, the rebrand was only visible on the team’s kits. A change in leadership on the business side of the club saw Chris Heck taking over.

He openly criticised the previous branding approach, stating, “This time, Aston Villa has consulted its fanbase in depth, after complaints the options they received last time around didn’t offer much choice” (Innes and Heck, 2024). In my opinion, while the partnership with Dragon Rogue was transparent with the fans, the design process lacked transparency. I therefore believe that adopting an open-source approach would have led to a better outcome.