In 2020 the Glasgow Rangers unveiled an extensive rebrand.
Many of the club’s merchandise, messaging and brand elements were refreshed. When asked why Rangers felt now was the right time, they stated its goal as ‘Implementing an industry-leading and dynamic digital transformation strategy aimed at supporting the club’s continued growth’.
Many businesses are cautious when it comes to rebranding and see it as a daunting task that risks the loss of recognisability and client retention. However, this isn’t the case. Often it’s the opposite – rebranding can give your current business a new lease of life, prepare it for any future endeavors, and can result in a new customer base.
Rangers began the rebrand with the logo itself. They introduced a new custom typeface for both their logo and messaging, with a new and improved colour scheme that adds vibrancy, contrast and readability to the badge. Unlike the Juventus rebranding in 2017, which was a total change of direction, Rangers opted to maintain as much of their brand equity as possible.
Here’s our design breakdown
A new fully functioning typeface, that represents an elite status, making Rangers instantly recognisable – paying homage to the past whilst preparing for the now and the future.
The Rangers blue is part of the club’s DNA. The new colours have been revitalised for a stronger visual impact across busy digital environments. The old colours lacked contrast which prevented the lion hero from standing out amongst the blue. In addition, a second colour palette was also introduced, ensuring the brand identity stands out regardless of the medium to which it is applied.
The logo positional changes were subtle, the lettering has all moved, making ‘Rangers’ and the strapline ‘Ready’ more distinctive, while still maintaining the historical ball in the centre. Losing the inner line has allowed all the lettering to increase in size, giving it greater impact and balance.
Finally, the Lion. The club mascot has been redrawn to be sharper, stronger and larger. On the old logo the Lion was a sight for sore eyes, blurry, lack of detail and below par linework. By improving the linework the lion now has a whole new dimension. It now sits prouder within the design while still maintaining historical ties to the original. It’s worth mentioning that a lioness has also been designed for the women’s team, providing them with the recognition they deserve.
To summerise, James Bisgrove, Rangers’ Director of Commercial and Marketing Rangers FC stated: “This evolution of our brand identity is underpinned by our rich heritage and aspirational mindset, all of which will provide us a springboard to grow global audiences and, ultimately, drive greater commercial revenues.”
Following this rebrand, the Glasgow Rangers have gone on to win the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 for the first time in 10 years and had their best financial year ever, even during a pandemic… coincidence? I THINK NOT!