Crest Review

[London Villan]

Heck will mumble something about listening to the fans, not being ready for the real crest, while walking around Bodymoor Heath in his kagool.

[KevinGage]

Two ways this design makes sense (if this is indeed the final final effort):

1. A fair bit of branding with the two Lerner efforts already exists and the cost to replace it all is simply too much for a guy looking for quick wins.  "They want the name Aston Villa on the badge. It's the 150 anniversary coming up, so get a mention of 1874 in there somewhere and we're done." This fits the remit of saving money where he can whilst generating revenue (or rinsing the fans) elsewhere.

2. Heck has had a change in life circumstances Stateside and can no longer commit to the job - but doesn't want to walk away for nowt. Botch the expansion plans, make a hames of the new badge design and generally do such a heinous job with comms and everything else that the club are happy just to pay him off to get rid.

[Drummond]

Still, it could be worse.......

[chrisw1]

That one still makes me chuckle.  To think someone was paid to design that and some committee thought it was a good idea and chose to run with it.  And then the video that went along with it's release...

The whole thing was like a sketch written by Ricky Gervais.

[purpletrousers]

The other thing about the new badge is, how on earth are they going to launch it now? I assume they were planning some big reveal, but now that it's been seen after it was spotted on the trademark site, and been widely condemned by just about everybody, any launch is going to feel as flat and tasteless as a pint of week old Carling.

That you’ve queued up for, missing what you came to see and a paid a fortune for? 
If they have any balls they’d pull that effort.

Can I get a reality check, is there a consensus a floating Lion shirt badge (with whatever they need around it for off shirt potentially) is best?

[paul_e]

The other thing about the new badge is, how on earth are they going to launch it now? I assume they were planning some big reveal, but now that it's been seen after it was spotted on the trademark site, and been widely condemned by just about everybody, any launch is going to feel as flat and tasteless as a pint of week old Carling.

That you’ve queued up for, missing what you came to see and a paid a fortune for? 
If they have any balls they’d pull that effort.

Can I get a reality check, is there a consensus a floating Lion shirt badge (with whatever they need around it for off shirt potentially) is best?

For me it is, that's what I've wanted all along.

[algy]

The other thing about the new badge is, how on earth are they going to launch it now? I assume they were planning some big reveal, but now that it's been seen after it was spotted on the trademark site, and been widely condemned by just about everybody, any launch is going to feel as flat and tasteless as a pint of week old Carling.

I worked for about 12 months as the bar manager for a Welsh lower league side (Knighton Town).  The pay was shit, and no prospects, but it was the most fun ever.  So many stories from that place.

Anyway, every year they have a carnival when all the farm folk come down in to the town, show off their sheep at the cricket ground, and get pissed in the football club bar.  It's a bugger of a shift, working flat out between 11am and midnight pretty much, but a good laugh.  They get in a load of beer for it, but the one carnival we'd been left with 4 full kegs of Carling and another opened half keg.  We'd usually send them over to the golf club to sell (they were quite good at taking excess stock of our hands), but couldn't get in touch with the guy on the day and kind of forgot afterwards.  So just thought 'never mind, we'll sell them'.

The problem was that the new Knighton manager that season decided, inexplicably, to tell the players that they weren't supposed to be getting absolutely twatted in the club bar after games.  So beer sales absolutely bombed, and we were only getting through one keg every few weeks.  Gets round to the next April, and I finally have to order a new keg.  Connect the thing up, serve people.

After the game, the club's chairman approaches me.  "Algy, what the fuck are you doing?  This Carling is off.".  Tell him that it's not off, the Carling he's been drinking since August was off, this is the first new keg we've had in 8 months.  Not been selling much because the players have started drinking soft drinks in the club bar then going out on the town in the evening and getting drunk in the pubs in town. He then gives the manager a bollocking, and tells the players that they *have* to drink a couple of pints in the club bar after every home game, otherwise they'll be fined!

[chrisw1]

The other thing about the new badge is, how on earth are they going to launch it now? I assume they were planning some big reveal, but now that it's been seen after it was spotted on the trademark site, and been widely condemned by just about everybody, any launch is going to feel as flat and tasteless as a pint of week old Carling.

That you’ve queued up for, missing what you came to see and a paid a fortune for? 
If they have any balls they’d pull that effort.

Can I get a reality check, is there a consensus a floating Lion shirt badge (with whatever they need around it for off shirt potentially) is best?

For me it is, that's what I've wanted all along.

Same.
I quite like 1874 below it for the anniversary.

[SamTheMouse]

I've just shown Mme Mouse the purported new crest - having first shown her the Lerner one, the gas lamp one, and the round one - and her immediate response was "oh la la, c'est pauvre".

Even middle-aged French women with no interest in football think it's shite.

[Villan82]

There was a big launch made for the round badge and Heck was the one to veto it.

It will be interesting to see now how he proposes to launch his badge given that there is clear evidence most think it worse than the round badge.

[FatSam]

Can I get a reality check, is there a consensus a floating Lion shirt badge (with whatever they need around it for off shirt potentially) is best?

There is no point trying to get consensus on what is best, which is why I have sympathy with the issue of consultation. That doesn’t excuse a botched exercise in graphic design presented as a fait accompli.

[London Villan]

When it is finally unveiled I can imagine it will be greeted with a chorus of "what the fcukin hell is that" from both sets of fans in the ground.

[exigo]

One of the big issues with all of the badges of the last 18 months is the complete lack of story behind them. It means everyone is then judging them on a purely visual basis. So, you look at the likely new badge and just see it as having shit accessibility/contrast, a poor font choice, a shield found in stock library etc.

Doing a proper job involves proper in-depth researching and development. Eg we chose this claret because it's the colour of the ground brickwork/the original 1874 colour/the 1982 claret; we commissioned (not chose) this font based on this heritage/the theme of lions/the idea of prepared; etc etc.

This current version screams 'client standing over the marketing team's shoulders'. No way has it been through a proper design studio or agency.

[London Villan]

"add in 1874 to fill that bit of space"

The fact is that it will be illegible when the crest is used on most screens and phones, let alone what it will be like embroidered or printed.

"Add a drop shadow" which can't be used on screen or many physical items.

[Bad English]

I've just shown Mme Mouse the purported new crest - having first shown her the Lerner one, the gas lamp one, and the round one - and her immediate response was "oh la la, c'est pauvre".

Even middle-aged French women with no interest in football think it's shite.

Just showed it to SWMBO without giving any context. She said « Mais, ils n'ont rien changé ! »¹, <sup>2

1</sup>Paulie will note the use of French guillemets for speech marks, which require a non-breaking space before each one. ;-)

² Obviously, she pays about as much attention to our badge as I do her when she is telling me important things but even so...