The club was founded in the London area of Woolwich in 1886, where the Royal Arsenal, the Royal Artillery Regiment, and many military hospitals were located. For two years, the Arsenal played without a logo, and then they took the coat of arms of Woolwich, where guns were depicted. The Arsenal's have a rich history and logo history for over 125 years.
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2002 - Present
A multi-colored shield with a side view of a gold with white trim cannon below a wordmark “Arsenal” in white with gold trim.
2011 - 2012
A new coat of arms in honor of the club’s 125th anniversary was created in 2010. The new Arsenal logo was a combination of the modern and the very first version of 1888. 15 oak leaves symbolize 15 founders who first met at the Royal Oak Pub. Another 15 leaves of the laurel were depicted on sixpenny coins, which the 15 founders put in the general treasury in 1886. Forward is the motto, connected with armament and battles.
2001 - 2002
The crest shifts back to a red with a gold trim featuring a gold cannon below the club’s name in gold and above the green coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and a scroll inscribed with the club’s newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit – “victory comes from harmony” – coined by the club’s program editor Harry Homer.
1996 - 2001
In 1996, the crest continues in black with a gold trim featuring a gold cannon below the club’s name in white and above the green coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and a scroll inscribed with the club’s newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit – “victory comes from harmony” – coined by the club’s program editor Harry Homer.
1994 - 1996
In 1994, the crest now in black featuring a gold cannon below the club’s name in white and above the green coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and a scroll inscribed with the club’s newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit – “victory comes from harmony” – coined by the club’s program editor Harry Homer.
1949 - 1994
In 1949, the club unveiled a red modernized crest featuring the same style of cannon below the club’s name and above the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and a scroll inscribed with the club’s newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit – “victory comes from harmony” – coined by the club’s program editor Harry Homer.
1936 - 1949
A monogram theme was developed into an Art Deco-style badge on which red letters “A” and “C” framed a football rather than the letter F, the whole set within a hexagonal red border.
1930 - 1936
A white with red trim shield with a black cannon above initials “A.F.C” and the year “1930” in red.
1925 - 1930
The previous crest only lasted until 1925, when the cannon was reversed to point westward and its barrel slimmed down and still has “The Gunners.”
1922 - 1925
The club adopted a crest featuring a single cannon, pointing eastwards, with the club’s nickname, The Gunners, inscribed alongside it.
1888 - 1922
Unveiled in 1888, Royal Arsenal’s first crest featured three cannons viewed from above, pointing northwards. These can sometimes be mistaken for chimneys, but the presence of a carved lion’s head and a cascabel on each are clear indicators that they are cannons.