The Premier League has got a whole new look and the changes are much more than just a fresh coat of paint. The 2016-17 season debuts the league’s first new logo in a decade as well as a bold new visual identity to be used in all other branding. The changes are a massive revamp of the EPL brand and are clearly aimed at modernizing an iconic presence for the demands of a digital age.

Out with the old…

 The Premier League has only held two sponsors in its 24 year history, Carling and Barclays Bank, with the latter in place from 2001 – 04 as the Barclaycard Premiership and since then as the Barclays Premiership. After the 2005 redesign the Premier League branding remained unchanged through the spread of global EPL mania. Despite the growing popularity the limitations of the visual style could be clearly felt as new viewing formats and different digital media sprang up.

 The English Football Association announced that the league had begun work on the rebranding after ending its partnership with Barclays in the 2014-15 season with the league planning to forgo any name sponsorship indefinitely. Additionally the FA stated that it would no longer be offering title sponsorship as a branding opportunity, preferring to keep the competition only as “The Premier League” for the forseeable future. Bringing it in line with the other major leagues Bundesliga and Ligue 1 who also eschew title sponsors, La Liga remains the only competition with an official title sponsor, the Spanish bank BBVA.

In with the (digital) new…

In their new design DesignStudio retained the iconic crowned lion while discarding the outmoded badge elements to update the logo for the world of flat design. The rest of the visual style has also been upgraded with a duotone claw/stripe pattern being featured prominently in other marketing collateral.

The changes are more than just a visual refresh, they are the league’s solution for a sports market that is pioneering new digital experiences alongside its traditional broadcast formats. Whether mobile/tablet streaming, highlights embedded in digital content or just an enhanced TV experience the flexibility required of the brand has changed remarkably over just the past 5 years.

With color, size, and placement more easily modified the new style logo is more easily adjustable to different contexts regardless if that is on a 30ft screen in a digital theater or a mobile app with just inches of screen available. It’s a sure thing that we’ll be seeing more of the Premier League’s new look as the league continues spread around the world.