Sounders FC reveal new look ahead of 50th anniversary season
SEATTLE - Seattle Sounders FC is revamping its team logo, colors and branding in celebration of the club's 50th anniversary in 2024.
The Sounders released their new look on Tuesday with an updated primary crest, a slightly modified color scheme that adds aqua to the collection, and additional logos that include an orca and a carnation along with "74" in a nod to the team's debut season.
"Today marks the culmination of much careful, contemplative and thorough work, and it is incredibly rewarding to now introduce Sounders FC’s brand evolution," Sounders FC majority owner Adrian Hanauer said in a statement.
"It was a dream achieved to bring the Sounders to Major League Soccer in 2009, but, like many of our fans, my love for the club started long before its MLS era. As Sounders, our past runs deep and proud, and that’s why we’re especially pleased to introduce this new visual identity, which isn’t so much a change as it is an evolution that more faithfully encompasses the entirety of the club. Every element in the brand now connects directly to our history. We are thrilled to continue building the Sounders legacy under our new crest as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and look ahead to the next 50 and beyond."
In developing the new branding for the franchise, the Sounders solicited input from many stakeholders in the team. Through public surveys, digital focus groups, in-person roundtables and one-on-one conversations with fans, season-ticket holders, players, coaches, and more, the team pushed forward in designing a refreshed look for the club's 50th season.
"From the beginning, the club has been open and honest," Alliance Council president Cameron Collins said in a statement. "Alliance Council, which represents all Sounders Season Ticket Members, has participated in this project every step of the way, including seeing designs and providing feedback – most notably as part of a full experiential workshop prior to the team’s Concacaf Champions League victory in May 2022. This is a brand evolution, not a revolution; we’re not a club that needs reinvention. While it is a change, this new system is familiar and rooted in our history. We are proud to have our fingerprints on this final product."
Some of the new additions to the look include an updated primary logo with a retooled Space Needle centric logo with 1974 included. Also, reworked imagery surrounding the wordmarks of the team logos return a representation of a wave to the look, which was present in previous team logos prior to joining Major League Soccer in 2009. Similarly, an orca logo was also part of previous team branding in the pre-MLS days and will return as part of the team's visual identity.