The lion on the Premier League logo is famous for being the best league in the history of football. The most talented, professional players are collected there. And crowds of fans come to watch Premier League matches. However, the history of English football has not always been so clear. Despite the enormous achievements of English football clubs in the European Championships, the passion for football faded in the 80s. Many sports grounds and even stadiums were left. Thus began the rise of football hooliganism. This situation guided the disqualification of English football clubs from the European Championships. You can see yourself, the situation was very disagreeable.
So, what did the disqualification of sports clubs lead to? Well, all the gifted players were quitting the country. The government had to take many efforts to change the situation. All stadiums have been reconstructed to accommodate seating. Large money had to be spent, but in the end, this led to the suppression of the riots.
As stadiums were modernized, match attendance grew and football became a prosperous business again. And then they decided to establish a new league. The event marked the beginning of the history of the Premier League logo. The original history of the Premier League logo began in 1992. An angry lion was chosen as a symbol. However, these days the lion seems downtrodden and miserable. And the general image of the league logo is not at all amazing. It has a lot of details that are better left out, as they do not make sense. Its geometry is also unfortunate as it looks like the logo is falling apart. The combination of colors is confusing because navy blue and green overlap each other. There is also too much black, and it is generally devoid of harmony. Nevertheless, it was a plausible project even at the time of its creation, since the situation was then critical.
The meaning of Premier League logos
The lion is the national symbol of England; there are three of them on the coat of arms of the country at once. The symbol indicates belonging to the royal blood of a lion - the king of animals, whose common features are greatness, courage, and strength. The Premier League, being a really mighty organization, could afford to use the royal symbol as a logo. The lion in the logo was actually a conscious choice. It has symbolized English football since 1872.
The Evolution of Premier League logos
Premier League logo 1993-1996
The first logo featured an agitated lion. Although it looked more like a griffin than a lion, it had very downcast eyes. As one logo, it was too complex to be a pure brand—there were too many colors and they all contradict each other. The lion was in the center, but then they added more to it through sponsorship, making it miniature.
From 1992 to 2001, the league's title sponsor was the British beer brand Carling, which paid £12m a year for the first four years and £36m for the next four. During this period, the tournament was called Carling F.A. Premiership.
Premier League logo 1996-2001
This was the strangest of logos. First, it had a soccer ball in a soccer ball, which was very strange. Second, it was the start of a full lion, but he still had that anxious expression on his face. In general, he tried too hard to do too much at once. The speed lines, the black background, and the Carling logo contradicted each other.
Premier League logo 2001-2004
In January 2001, Carling told the Premier League that he did not want to renew his contract. Pepsi, Budweiser, and Vodaphone were interested in the league, but the British bank Barclays won. It was Barclays who sponsored the football first league - the tournament that was before the Premier League.
The change in sponsorship clearly led to a rethink. In this logo, the lion was in a place of honor, but still worried. Different shades of blue made it disconnected. With this and two soccer balls, it looked like two logos colliding together. They had this triangular holding part which, while eye-catching, was actually quite uncomfortable.
Premier League logo 2004-2007
The colors are starting to blend better with each other and the font has become more harmonious, but it still gives the impression of two separate logos colliding together. Keeping two soccer balls, one with a lion and one with a sponsor shows a lack of credibility and looks very insecure.
Premier League logo 2007-2016
In 2007, a new logo appeared. Now the lion was looking straight at you. The ferocious lion symbolized the dominance of the Premier League over other leagues and the challenges that teams faced. The use of bright red and blue colors emphasized the high pace of the Premier League, and the swiftness and intensity of the game. This version of the lion was definitely more regal, attractive, and confident.
Premier League logo 2016-present
The Premier League was left without a general sponsor, which caused the iconic logo to suffer, and it was necessary to remove the Barclays inscription from the logo. The company decided on a total rebranding. With the new logo, the Premier League changed its identity.
The studio removed the Barclays sign, the lion's torso, and the soccer ball. What remains is the head of a lion with a crown and different versions of the Premier League inscription next to it.
Advantages of the new logo: minimalism and the ability to place it on different devices (for example, on the icon of a mobile app) without losing detail. However, not everyone liked the new emblem.
Wrap Up
The Premier League is something that everyone knows about. Like any company or event, it has its own logo. Over the course of history, the logo has undergone certain changes, which depended on various factors. The evolution of the logo is really interesting and exciting.
