Columbus Crew Will "Refresh Brand" In Time For 2015 MLS Season

[buckeye]

Happened to be watching Fox Sports 1 and I haven't found an article yet, but the Columbus Crew will be going through a rebrand for the 2015 season. The report is that the team name, as well as the colors will stay the same. The logo however, which is much overdue for a change, is finally doing just that. Being from Columbus, the Crew are a big part of the city, and I hope that the change is a very successful one.

[Kevin W.]

That's disappointing. I actually like the logo.

[mattb6]

Yeah, I kinda like that logo. I've seen a couple of their games and I'll be fine as long as they still keep gold and black and look decent enough.

[Waffles]

More info via Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:

Staying with Columbus, new owner Precourt said the team’s rebranding would likely happen in 2015. The club will still be called the Columbus Crew and the colors will still be black and gold, he said, but the logo and crest are likely to change.

“The three workmen and the ‘hardest-working team in soccer’ feels a little manufactured,” Precourt said. “I can’t say that completely resonates with what Columbus is really about. It’s a youthful, smart, progressive city. We want to try and resonate a little more locally and be more relevant nationally.”

[Red Wolf]

Way overdue. The current logo is just flat out embarrassing.

[FiddySicks]

This can only end up awful. I LOVE their current logo.

[Norva]

It's interesting, the Crew logo seems to be one of those "love it or hate it" things.

I, personally, hate that thing and wish this change was done years ago.

[njdevs7]

As long as they keep the name and the colors its fine. One of only 3 inaugural MLS teams (DC United, NE Revolution) to still have their original colors/name.

[shaydre1019]

I like the idea of it. It could use a modernization not using copperplate.

[BrandMooreArt]

i think Precourt has the right idea about what to keep, what to change, and how to represent Columbus properly. i am excited to see what they come up with. the current logo is terrible

[DEAD!]

I like the logo... what will they switch to though? Crew socks?

[chakfu]

Bring back the Cleveland Force!

[Sport]

I once heard someone say they were named the Crew as in Christopher Columbus' crew. I don't know how much truth there is to that as they went with the construction theme pretty early on. A nautical motif wouldn't have been the worst idea had they gone with it back at the beginning, however.

I think it's way overdue that they update that logo. It's awful.

[illwauk]

More info via Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:

Staying with Columbus, new owner Precourt said the team’s rebranding would likely happen in 2015. The club will still be called the Columbus Crew and the colors will still be black and gold, he said, but the logo and crest are likely to change.

“The three workmen and the ‘hardest-working team in soccer’ feels a little manufactured,” Precourt said. “I can’t say that completely resonates with what Columbus is really about. It’s a youthful, smart, progressive city. We want to try and resonate a little more locally and be more relevant nationally.”

But yet, they're keeping the "Crew" name?

[Brian in Boston]

"The colors have never been under review and will always be black and gold... We're the Columbus Crew, our colors are the same, we're just really evaluating the badge."

"We are thinking about our identity as a club; we think it could be refreshed. We don't know if it necessarily resonates what Columbus is really all about."

"We're in that process of evaluating what we might do to refresh the brand. Based on how properties work with Adidas and Major League Soccer, it takes time. We just can't do anything until the start of the 2015 season when we roll out our new kits for 2015. I wish it could happen sooner."

- Anthony Precourt, Columbus Crew Owner

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/mls/columbus-crew/story/Crew-owner-Precourt-answers-questions-ab?blockID=956193&feedID=10266

[JayMac]

Maybe some kind of ship motif? It could play to the whole Christopher Columbus thing.

[JackieMoon]

Should be an improvement.

[nas1787]

Precourt is saying all the right things. I love the bright yellow (that ain't gold) and black, and think the name is unique. But that logo is absolutely terrible. Certainly something tying to Christopher Columbus and a nautical theme could work, though don't forget that Columbus was awful. Personally I wouldn't worry so much about tying the crest to the name. Just accept that Crew refers to the group of players on the pitch, and design a crest that ties in with the city or state. A trillium seems appropriate - state flower, name of cup comp with TFC, has a yellow centre.

[sonny]

Count me in the happy camp. Living in Columbus, I have to look at that Crest every time I drive past the stadium, which is every day.

I don't think I want to see a Christopher Columbus tie-in but I don't know what I want to see. Perhaps something clean and simple.

[BrianLion]

Given the league's desperate push to be more European in every conceivable way, I'm somewhat surprised that they're not getting rid of the silly "Crew" moniker. That may be the only team name in North America that's more "90's" than "Raptors." I figured "Bayern Columbus" would've been a realistic possibility given the ridiculousness of names like "Real Salt Lake", etc.