Rebranding a team or visibly taking a club into a new era is a dangerous endeavor. It changes the entire image of the club, so the stakes are high. In the worst case scenario, if you do a horrendous job of it, you end up alienating your embarrassed fans and severing the emotional connection they had with the team. But if you do a great job of it, you further connect with your fans and create—to choose some words not at all randomly— “a badge of honor for all to wear.”
When the Columbus Crew revealed their new Columbus Crew SC badge on October 8, 2014, the capacity crowd at the LC Pavilion roared its approval. As Anthony Precourt set out to refresh the team’s visual identity, he entrusted the project to the internal staff in Columbus. Led by staff members Will Bennett and Eric Sinicki, the club produced a gorgeous logo with legitimate meaning. And the events leading up to the unveiling, and the reveal party itself, were perfectly executed. The whole thing, from top to bottom and start to finish, was the front office equivalent of an MLS Cup championship.
I wrote many words about the old logo and the new logo and that magical night if you wish to further understand why this event is so special.
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