New York City Football Club - Official Badge
Five Boroughs. One City.
Branding / Advertising
This was a watershed moment for New York: the time when the city—all five boroughs of it—got its own major league football club.
I was honoured to be part of the small design team chosen to create the Official New York City Football Club badge. Working with Rafael Esquer, his direction to Alfalfa Studio was: position the NYCFC’s badge as a genuine, authentic and timeless football badge—very NYC and, at the same time, with a presence to stand on its own in international contexts.
*All work completed under the direction of Rafael Esquer for Alfalfa Studio NYC.
There was a period of extensive research on New York sports’ teams, New York culture, shield history and analysis of existing badge designs. This was followed by idea generation and sketching of initial ideas and concepts.
The final chosen badge presents a timeless monogram inside of a circle. The shape is inspired by the old New York City Subway Token, created by the Transit Authority in 1953 and used for 50 years as the standard fare for a ride. The last version of the token had a cut out pentagon in the center representing the five boroughs, similar to what appears on either side of the monogram, to reinforce the Club’s connection to entire city.
The circle is also a symbol of unity, wholeness and infinity, and is often associated with potential and the number one. This is a modern and confident badge that clearly speaks to New York City’s status as a leading city.
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The badge has now become the bedrock of the club’s identity and a focal point of all team gear and merchandise.
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