NYC FC Branding

[-kj]

- They're roundels

- They include blue

- They include some sort of initial lockup

Yup, totally a copy... *ahem*

[hawk36]

- They're roundels

- They include blue

- They include some sort of initial lockup

Yup, totally a copy... *ahem*

Biggest similar issues are:

- Round with multiple outlines

- Multiple (more than 2) interlocking letterforms in the center of the circle

- Large C letterform that follows the circle

And, the initial issue wasn't with the new Inter logo but with their old one that had been used for year and only changed a few year ago. That one is even more similar due to the smaller type in the outer circle area.

Again, don't think it was malicious but too close for a designer to feel good about. I'd love to get a lawyer's take on this but I would think Inter would have a decent case for infringement here. As a design professional that's created over 150 logos, I'd have a hard time not siding with Inter if they had a complaint. If I had created the Inter logo I know I'd be furious.

[Gothamite]

Sorry, still not seeing it. And I didn't even want the circle logo.

[Jer15]

I was wondering how someone that doesn't live in US get a NYCFC t-shirt ordered as the only ship to US mailing addresses.

Outside of using a pick and pack service (ship to a warehouse in the USA who then ships to Canada) and paying a lot in transportation charges as well as customs charges, there's not much choice. You'd be looking at roughly $200 (off the top of my head) just to get that t-shirt to you.

Can you tell what I do for a living? lol.

Back to NYCFC...

While we are at it why don't we call NYCFC's crest a rip off of another Italian club, Livorno. They also have a roundel with interlocking letters.

I'm with Mockba here, this is not a rip off of Inter.

[hawk36]

I was wondering how someone that doesn't live in US get a NYCFC t-shirt ordered as the only ship to US mailing addresses.

Outside of using a pick and pack service (ship to a warehouse in the USA who then ships to Canada) and paying a lot in transportation charges as well as customs charges, there's not much choice. You'd be looking at roughly $200 (off the top of my head) just to get that t-shirt to you.

Can you tell what I do for a living? lol.

Back to NYCFC...

While we are at it why don't we call NYCFC's crest a rip off of another Italian club, Livorno. They also have a roundel with interlocking letters.

I'm with Mockba here, this is not a rip off of Inter.

So can you honestly say if you were the designer of the Inter logo you wouldn't be just a bit peeved? Or if you were the designer of the NYC FC logo you wouldn't feel a tinge of regret? I'd sure feel both.

And the Livorno logo is not even close, no multiple outlines, no center overlapping of letterforms, no large C following the circle. Completely different.

[Gothamite]

So can you honestly say if you were the designer of the Inter logo you wouldn't be just a bit peeved? Or if you were the designer of the NYC FC logo you wouldn't feel a tinge of regret?

I can honestly say: nope, and nope.

[Foxxtrot44]

I'm with Hovie on this one. The first time I saw the roundel logo I thought, "Hmm, some designer really likes Inter." Having looked at it more, it seems less and less egregious. More than likely both logos and monograms come from the same general idea of making a monogram out of a fairly awkward collection of letters....and thus both inevitably end up having similarities.

[hawk36]

So can you honestly say if you were the designer of the Inter logo you wouldn't be just a bit peeved? Or if you were the designer of the NYC FC logo you wouldn't feel a tinge of regret?

I can honestly say: nope, and nope.

I'll have to take a look at your logo designs next time I'm stumped and under a deadline

[Panthers]

A true abomination.

1. Name the team something. Anything. In this country, teams have nicknames. FC is not a nickname. It is an identifier. Do we have to do everything like Europe does?

2. The logo looks like a subway token.

3. Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

[Jer15]

So can you honestly say if you were the designer of the Inter logo you wouldn't be just a bit peeved? Or if you were the designer of the NYC FC logo you wouldn't feel a tinge of regret?

I can honestly say: nope, and nope.

Just for the record I was being sarcastic with the Livorno comparison.

I echo Gothamite's sentiments.

Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

It's not even a question. The team starts playing next season.

[hawk36]

So can you honestly say if you were the designer of the Inter logo you wouldn't be just a bit peeved? Or if you were the designer of the NYC FC logo you wouldn't feel a tinge of regret?

I can honestly say: nope, and nope.

Just for the record I was being sarcastic with the Livorno comparison.

I echo Gothamite's sentiments.

Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

It's not even a question. The team starts playing next season.

Maybe I'm just more sensitive to it since it's my business and I've had my designs lifted before. Never fun and the only ones that win are the lawyers.

[Gothamite]

Maybe I'm just more sensitive to it since it's my business and I've had my designs lifted before. Never fun and the only ones that win are the lawyers.

I understand that, and I sympathize. I am a big believer in intellectual property. I am one of the most steadfast champions of pro and college teams issuing C&D letters, and suing if need be, to stop infringement of their marks.

I just don't see how this remotely qualifies.

2. The logo looks like a subway token.

That would be a feature, not a bug.

[hawk36]

I just passed this NYC FC vs Inter logo issue past our lawyer (for fun) and he said any argument wouldn't fly in the USA but that it would very likely have strong legs in Italy. Especially if NYC FC wants to sell its merchandise in Italy. Interesting.

[Nyk33]

A true abomination.

1. Name the team something. Anything. In this country, teams have nicknames. FC is not a nickname. It is an identifier. Do we have to do everything like Europe does?

2. The logo looks like a subway token.

That was the point.

3. Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

They are going to be playing next year even though I'm not a fan of them for my own reasons.

I just passed this NYC FC vs Inter logo issue past our lawyer (for fun) and he said any argument wouldn't fly in the USA but that it would very likely have strong legs in Italy. Especially if NYC FC wants to sell its merchandise in Italy. Interesting.

I don't think NYCFC is going to build a huge fanbase in Italy but I'm guessing that they would probably pay Inter some money in a settlement if they had to.

[Gothamite]

What's different about Italian law?

[IceCap]

1. Name the team something. Anything. In this country, teams have nicknames.

An increasingly large number of soccer teams in both Canada and the United States do not have nicknames. I wouldn't be overly fond of the San Diego Chargers becoming San Diego FC or the Toronto Maple Leafs becoming Toronto HC, but it is a naming convention that works for soccer.

Do we have to do everything like Europe does?

Everything? Are MLB teams adopting European naming conventions? NFL teams? NHL teams? NBA teams? No.

Also, the city's name is New York. It's already copying the name of a city in the UK. In some ways a Euro name like NYCFC is appropriate.

2. The logo looks like a subway token.

That's a good thing. The subway's one of the first things I think of when I hear "New York City."

3. Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

Mmmm...they're going to play. And they'll, in all likelihood, becoming the most well supported pro soccer team in New York City.

[Nyk33]

3. Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

Mmmm...they're going to play. And they'll, in all likelihood, becoming the most well supported pro soccer team in New York City.

How do you know this exactly?

It's annoying how people are making claims when no one has any idea how this team is going to draw or how much attention they are going to receive from the general public.

Edited for more clarity.

[-kj]

Mmmm...they're going to play. And they'll, in all likelihood, becoming the most well supported pro soccer team in New York City.

I should hope so; I'm pretty sure they'll be the only professional team actually in New York City. (I'm channeling my inner Goth. )

[hawk36]

What's different about Italian law?

It has something to do with the Inter brand being iconic and easily recognized by a majority of Italians. They would make the argument that NYC FC is trying to look like Inter in order to benefit from Inter's brand awareness and sell more merchandise. Not that Italians wouldn't know the difference but that they would buy the merchandise because it looked similar to Inter and had the coolness of New York too. Obviously in the USA, the same argument couldn't be made since a very small percentage even know what Inter is.

[IceCap]

3. Let's hope this team never, ever sees the light of day.

Mmmm...they're going to play. And they'll, in all likelihood, becoming the most well supported pro soccer team in New York City.

How do you know this exactly?

It's annoying how non-New Yorkers are making claims when no one has any idea how this team is going to draw or how much attention they are going to receive.

Just the way pro sports seem to work. Red Bull has, by all accounts, chosen to focus on the suburbs. Which is fine as a marketing strategy, but I imagine it would leave fans in New York proper feeling neglected.

So that leaves you with NYCFC and the Cosmos. When push comes to shove NYCFC's going to be the team playing in the top division. If you're a New Yorker and you want to watch your city's team play in the top soccer league in the country then NYCFC is your team. The Cosmos, for all their bluster, play in what is essentially a minor league. I understand that, given how soccer operates, that's not a perfect analogy (though relegation and promotion don't exist on this side of the Atlantic). Still, I don't see fans willingly ignoring the pro team on the block to support the minor league team. Outside of the Cosmos diehards and those who have moral objections to NYCFC given their ownership (I'm not crazy about the team for that reason myself).

It's like in Chicago, when the Blackhawks sucked and the AHL Chicago Wolves were hot. You heard the "they should have the Blackhawks and Wolves switch leagues" jokes a lot, but it was never serious. Once the 'Hawks got good again you saw where the city's sentiments truly lied. With the pro team.