Juventus upset fans after rebranding their famous club crest
Italian football club Juventus’ decision to rebrand their iconic club crest has been met with widespread criticism from commentators and fans alike.
The new Juventus crest will be adopted in July 2017
The new minimalist design sees the Italian side drop their famous vertical black and white stripes inside an oval crest in favour of a monochrome 'J' inside half a white shield.
It will be officially adopted from July 2017 and was unveiled last night (16 January) at a star-studded event in Milan, Italy alongside a promotional video.
From 1897 to 2017. Our history, our future #2beJuventus pic.twitter.com/qORDr5M406
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 16, 2017
The club's president, Andrea Agnelli, revealed that the logo was over a year in the making and described it as "a symbol of the Juventus way of living".
"These three elements make up the DNA of our club. The black and white stripes are the defining trait of the new visual identity and can be adapted to fit any setting,” said Agnelli.
He added: "The Scudetto represents the club's determination to strive for victory, now and forever. And finally, the J: that most distinctive of initials, occupies a special place in the heart of every fan."
It appears that the vast majority of fans and football media are unimpressed with the changes though.
The 21 WORST club badges in world football... should we add #Juve's new logo to this? https://t.co/PuXj37QFuf @thehuwdavies #JuventusLogo pic.twitter.com/aL3nOXnfFJ — FourFourTwo (@FourFourTwo) January 17, 2017
First thing I thought of when I saw the new juventus logo... pic.twitter.com/iO8leWZeWp
— Callum (@CallumWawman) January 16, 2017
Juventus have unnecessarily decided to change their logo. Not a fan pic.twitter.com/l9zwA9Exo5 — Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) January 16, 2017
What the hell? Juventus just changed their iconic badge to an awful piece of garbage...
— Koney (@Koney123) January 16, 2017
Some have voiced their support for the new crest though, including Owen Laverty, head of insight at marketing agency Ear to the Ground.
“I love the crest personally,” said Laverty. “The brand update is aesthetically pleasing, it harks on memories of a golden era of Italian football and in particular Italia 90, and yet highlights a bold new future for the club.
“It genuinely feels like a club treading new ground, premium ground. And the launch event and comms only seem to further highlight this, Giorgio Moroder performing, canapes, players in sunglasses (indoors), celebrities and glamour aplenty.”
However, Laverty points out that “Unfortunately, this looks like a club accelerating into the future, and not particularly intent on taking its existing fanbase with them.
“If we have learnt anything over the years about football crest updates and changes, it's that taking fans on the journey with you is vital.”