On 15 October 2015, following years of criticism from the fans over the design of the 1997 badge, the club announced they intended to carry out a fan consultation on whether to disregard the club badge and institute a new design. After the consultation, the club announced in late November 2015 the current club badge would be replaced in due course by a new version which would be designed in the style of the older, circular variants. A design purporting to be the new badge was unintentionally leaked two days early prior to the official unveiling on 26 December 2015 by the IPO when the design was trademarked on 22 December. The new design was officially unveiled at the club's home match on 26 December against Sunderland.
2016 - Present
December 26, 2015, Manchester City introduced a new emblem of the club before the match with Sunderland. As promised, the Manchester City logo was designed in a round shape and executed in two colors: 94% of fans preferred the blue color, and 68% – the white one. Also, fans chose the elements of the picture: 85% appreciated a ship, the symbol of Manchester, 67% chose three rivers (Irwell, Irk and Medlock), and 60% picked out a red rose, the symbol of the county of Lancashire. The logo has a round shape again with a shield inside, where the golden ship and the red rose are featured. All the lines are painted in the dark blue color and complemented by light blue. The year of the club foundation is painted blue 1894. Finally, the arched wordmark is back “MANCHESTER CITY” in blue.
1997 - 2016
Inspired by the urban sign, the developers of the logo also decided to decorate it with a beautiful inscription in Latin.
This badge was based on the arms of the city of Manchester and consisted of a shield in front of a golden eagle. The eagle is an old heraldic symbol of the city of Manchester. The shield features a ship on its upper half representing the Manchester Ship Canal, and three diagonal stripes in the lower half symbolize the city’s three rivers – the Irwell, the Irk, and the Medlock. The bottom of the badge bears the motto “Superbia in Proelio”, which translates as “Pride in Battle” in Latin. Above the eagle and shield are three stars, which are purely decorative.
1981 - 1997
For the 1981 season, Manchester kept the same design with some changes to color. The shield has a two-tone color of blue and white with the background blue going darker. Still have the arched wordmark “MANCHESTER CITY F.C.” in black.
1972 - 1976
In 1972, Manchester City made significant changes to the design and again the colors. Changes to the featured shield by adding a red rose below the yellow ship. The roundel logo now sports a white background for the arched wordmark “MANCHESTER CITY F.C.” in black.
1970 - 1972
At the beginning of the ’70s, Manchester City changed the design and colors to their logo. Black trim was added to the wordmark and the roundel. The featured shield continues with the ship and banner with slight changes.
1960 - 1970
Manchester City’s first original mark came in the ’60s becoming a roundel logo. Bringing over the shield from the coat of arms is the centerpiece. The shield is red and yellow with a ship at the top of the shield and a striped banner at the bottom. Arched wordmark “MANCHESTER CITY FC” in black on a light blue background.
1926 - 2011
The original crest was gleaned from the logo of the Manchester City Coat of Arms.
The golden bends in red are derived from the arms of the Lords of Manchester, who ruled the city prior to 1301. The chief shows a ship in full sail, a symbol of trade and enterprise. The crest shows a globe covered with bees, representing the world, to all parts of which the goods of the city are exported. The bees are a symbol of activity. The supporters, an antelope, and a lion are derived from the arms of King Henry IV, Duke of Lancaster.
The motto means “By council and work,” and is derived from a phrase in Ecclesiasticus 37:16: “Let reason be the beginning of every work and let counsel go before every action.”