New DC United badge

[Gothamite]

Didn't see an existing thread, but don't want this update to get lost in the megathread. We've known for a while that DC United was getting a new badge, but it's just been leaked.

For comparison, here are their two old badges, 1996-98 and 1999-2015:

Couple things to love - the DC flag, the new typeface, the way the name is actually integrated with the shield instead of being slapped over it. I'm also glad they got rid of the truncated icosahedron.

The wings are still a little goofy but it's so much better than the original Germanic eagle.

That makes me wonder what this "leak" was; rejected design, intermediate step, or outright fake?

I prefer the eagle from this version, with the sharp wings and contrasting beak. Not to mention the sharp edges where the white head feathers meet the body - don't love the circular version they went with.

Overall, great update. MLS is looking better all the time. Now if we can just do something about the (ugh) Revolution....

[ZionEagle]

If this is real, then DC just made a huge improvement on their part. I would proudly wear any of those t-shirts now.

I do agree that if they went with the sharper eagle it would have been stellar, but it's a good update regardless, so I can't complain.

[Digby]

Something doesn't quite look right to me about how the eagle is emerging from the crest. Kinda looks like the eagle wings are holding up a DC United banner, and then there are two superfluous lines underneath the wings. I guess the eagle is just obscuring the crest-ness a little too much? Typeface and flag integration are so nice, though.

[officeglenn]

On the left hand one, I find my eye drawn to where the body of the eagle tapers inward, underneath the wings — and not in a good way. I feel like I should see more of the DC flag pattern. Since the top and bottom of the stripes line up with the red patches on the sides, I find myself wanting the black stripe in between the red stripes to extend outward to the edges of the shield. (If that makes any sense.) With the black shield on the right-hand one in the with merchandise, though, I don't have that problem.

That's my only gripe, though. It's miles better than what they had. Love the new typeface and the fact everything seems to flow better.

[Gothamite]

Yeah, the flag does create an hourglass waist, obscuring the sense of tail feathers below.

Just realized there are actually two different versions here - one with a red shield and one with a black shield. Hope they're not actually going to use both.

[officeglenn]

Red shield honestly looks like a bit of a photoshop job; the edges of the red areas don't look as pixelated as the rest. The left-hand one also looks a bit taller, like it was stretched out vertically.

[Brian in Boston]

I shared my thoughts in the "2016 MLS Jerseys" thread, but I'll repeat them here.

D.C. United's new logo strikes me as "meh"... at best.

I never understood the love people had for DCU's first two logos. They both struck me as poorly-rendered mediocrities. The originally fascist, then just plain goofy-looking eagle... the generic wordmark typeface... the clip-art soccer balls clumsily superimposed over stars... the bulbous shape of the shield. About all those DCU logos had going for them was the fact that none of the original MLS team marks was particularly attractive.

All of that said, in my opinion, the update to the D.C. United badge doesn't do enough to move the needle in a positive direction. Yes, the wordmark font is improved and the shield's shape is more streamlined. Yes, the reference to the Washington family crest - and, by extension the District of Columbia flag - is a nice touch. That said, so long as the focal point of the team's badge continues to resemble a Pontiac Firebird logo as drawn by a not particularly artistic 6-year-old, DCU's visual identity will remain underwhelming in my book.

And believe me, as the supporter of an MLS side sporting a Crayola-scrawled depiction of Old Glory as its primary logo, I'm only too familiar with "underwhelming" visual identities in Major League Soccer.

[Berlin Wall]

I created the red shield to illustrate that I would like it better with a red background.

[gosioux76]

Points for ditching the soccer ball in the logo. On that alone it's a win.

[Gothamite]

I created the red shield to illustrate that I would like it better with a red background.

Gotcha, thanks. I'll update the first post with the black background.

[Gothamite]

Here's the official graphic:

For the first time since 1998, D.C. United’s logo has a new look. The MLS club unveiled the redesigned crest Thursday night during an event for supporters at Union Market.

The eagle remains the centerpiece, though its head is turned right instead of left. The soccer ball and gold star are gone, replaced by the stars and stripes of the District of Columbia flag.

Tom Hunt, United’s chief operating officer, called the new look “more of a modern evolution than a revolution.”

Through market research, the club concluded “the current brand did not adequately represent the United community.” However, United also wanted to maintain “a strong tie to the tradition.”

The change comes at a transitional time for the organization. Plans for a new stadium at Buzzard Point, near Nationals Park, played into the redesign of the crest. United is hopeful of breaking ground next summer and opening the venue in 2018. The team has played all 20 seasons at RFK Stadium, a rundown facility that opened in 1961.

The last time United altered the crest was after the 1997 season, softening a militaristic version of an eagle with three soccer balls.

The shape of the new logo, the club said, draws from George Washington’s family crest, featured in stained glass at Selby Abbey in Yorkshire, England.

The eagle’s head has remained the same since the inaugural 1996 campaign, but the club decided to turn the direction so it’s “looking forward.” The wings were enlarged to extend beyond the shield, “reinforcing the core brand value of freedom.” The red coloring is also darker than in the previous logo.

British-based graphic artist Peter Horridge crafted the new logo. He had redesigned the shields for the Liverpool FC and England’s Football Association.

Among MLS’s 10 founding teams, United has undergone few branding changes over two decades. Many organizations have altered their color schemes and crests. The Columbus Crew, 2015 MLS Cup finalist, changed its logo last year. Four original clubs have changed their nickname: New York (MetroStars to Red Bulls), Dallas (Burn to FC Dallas), Kansas City (Wiz, Wizards, then Sporting KC) and San Jose (Clash to Earthquakes).

United did not have any serious discussions about changing its nickname or colors, Hunt said.

I think it looks pretty good on the shirt. Looks like they're going with tonal stripes.

[pagan696]

^^ that jersey pic looks like a great new look!

the black shield allows the flag to not get lost.

[LEWJ]

Very cool.

I like how the odd shaped "waist" of the eagle actually forms an abstract "D" and "C" in the negative space.

[hockey week]

This meets this:

Can't say I'm impressed.

[BC985]

I like it and props to DCU for never having red, white, and blue for their color scheme. It would be an easy cop-out in the nation's capital, but would easily get lost among Nationals, Capitals, and Wizards branding.

[Firefly]

That angular bird in the op looks to be an altered verion of a concept I did a few years back

[Gothamite]

Hmm. A concept that got picked up as a leak, then.