One thing extraordinary not too long ago unfolded in English soccer: Liverpool FC clinched the Premier League title for the second time. Once you add that to their 18 top-flight titles from earlier than the Premier League period, they now stand degree with Manchester United—each golf equipment boasting the honour of being topped English champions 20 instances.
However that is not the one large story to come back out of Anfield this 12 months. Not too long ago, model company Bulletproof partnered with Liverpool to create one thing unprecedented: the primary soccer identification powered by followers. Greater than only a rebrand, this was about capturing the vitality, voice and unshakable perception that outline each the membership and town itself.
We chatted to David Beare, government inventive director at Bulletproof, to seek out out extra.
Fowl takes flight
This was Bulletproof’s first collaboration with the storied membership, explains David. “It was each an enormous honour and a big accountability,” he recollects. “LFC is greater than a soccer membership: it is an identification and a world image of resilience and perception.”
What actually set this rebrand aside, although, was its deep connection to the supporters who outline the membership’s character. “Followers had been on the coronary heart of this challenge,” David emphasises. “We engaged with supporter advisory teams early within the course of to higher perceive the spirit, worth and character of the membership from the attitude of those that dwell and breathe it. Their perception helped form the strategic foundations of the identification; grounding it in pleasure, vitality and native character.”
This collaborative method ensured the brand new identification would not simply symbolize the membership however would really feel owned by followers worldwide.
Heritage vs innovation
For an establishment with Liverpool’s storied historical past, respecting custom whereas embracing the long run introduced a big problem. “Balancing heritage and innovation had been on the coronary heart of the challenge,” says David. “We began by deeply understanding LFC’s historical past; its defining moments, and its distinctive function within the metropolis and past. The Liver Fowl, as an emblem, turned our anchor.”
For the uninitiated, The Liver Fowl is each a legendary creature and the image of Liverpool. It seems within the metropolis’s coat of arms, and on the Royal Liver Constructing, a distinguished constructing on the waterfront.
“The Liver Fowl is greater than a emblem: it is the heartbeat of town,” David stresses. “We studied its historical past and symbolism, specializing in its function as an indication of defiance, ardour and heritage.” However quite than altering the enduring crest, Bulletproof used the Liver Fowl’s DNA—its shapes, curves, and particularly its wing expression—as inspiration for the complete visible system.
“The ‘wing expression’ turned a core inventive machine, one which visually channels the vitality of Anfield: typically calm and composed, different instances dynamic and boundary-breaking,” David explains. “Identical to the stadium itself, the system responds to its environment; powered by the sounds, feelings and environment distinctive to Liverpool.”
The Scouse soul
Briefly, the rebrand goes past aesthetics to embody Liverpool’s distinctive spirit”. Capturing the Scouse soul meant bottling town’s perspective, resilience and sense of togetherness,” David notes. “The strategic section of the challenge landed us in an area that felt proudly Scouse, with a brand new promise: ‘Inspiring perception on and off the pitch’.”
Bulletproof outlined a set of traits—graft, religion, togetherness, and ‘our approach’—that might solely be true of Liverpool, town and, by extension, the soccer membership. “Anfield itself is a big a part of this,” provides David. “The stadium is exclusive: it is the house of this environment, a spot feared by different golf equipment, and a fortress the place the gang’s vitality is palpable.”
“Typography is central to the developed identification,” David continues. “We developed a brand new signature for the model that, over time, will turn out to be as synonymous with the membership because the Liver Fowl crest. We partnered with Alistair McCready at Monolith to craft a bespoke kind suite that includes each a customized serif and a sans serif at its core. Each kinds are impressed by the shapes and curves of the Liver Fowl.
“Each character throughout each serif and sans was drawn individually,” he provides. “No shortcuts, mirroring or stretching. Every width and elegance obtained bespoke therapy to take care of stability and optical integrity. LFC Sans’ decreased distinction ensures accessibility and legibility, even at smaller sizes or in long-form textual content. The sort system was rigorously examined at varied sizes to realize the fitting optical stability, with the serif primarily for headlines however versatile sufficient for physique textual content.”
The typography can be variable and responsive. “It could possibly animate and shift in real-time, responding to targets, silences, or the songs sung by followers, making the model really feel alive and deeply related to the matchday expertise.” As for color, “We distilled the multitude of reds utilized by the membership down to at least one iconic Liverpool crimson, supported by a restricted palette of crimson tones for readability and consistency.”
A versatile system for a world model
The brand new identification wasn’t simply designed for match days however to perform throughout Liverpool FC’s total international presence. “An enormous a part of the job wasn’t simply to offer the LFC design group extra however to clear the noise and litter, offering a simplified set of distinctive property with the flexibleness and variability to permit for cohesive work at tempo,” explains David.
“The brand new identification is designed to be extremely versatile, serving a various vary of audiences and contexts. On digital platforms, the responsive kind and wing expression animate in sync with fan sentiment and match moments, creating a really immersive expertise. Within the stadium, the visuals adapt to Anfield’s distinctive vitality. Whether or not it is calm anticipation or explosive celebrations, the model strikes with the gang.”
This flexibility extends to business partnerships: “The identification now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with accomplice manufacturers like Adidas, Customary Chartered and EA Sports activities, permitting for seamless collaborations whereas sustaining a definite LFC presence.”
Measuring success
Whereas the rebrand continues to be in its early days, one of the significant measures of success would be the emotional connection it builds with supporters. For Bulletproof, the goal was at all times to create one thing that resonates on a deeply human degree. “What issues most is that sense of pleasure; when followers say, ‘This appears like us,’ that is once we know it is landed in the fitting place,” says David.
In abstract, this fan-powered revolution represents greater than only a visible refresh. It is a testomony to the membership’s understanding that in trendy soccer, the connection between group and supporter extends far past the pitch.
“Our method was by no means about altering LFC however amplifying what makes it distinctive; bringing out the ‘more-ness’ that is at all times been there,” concludes David. “Finally, this wasn’t about what LFC seems to be like however what LFC appears like.”