ReBrand: Hamilton Academical FC

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Hamilton Academical Football Club was established in 1874 by, as the name suggests, pupils and the rector of Hamilton Academy (1588-1972).

Although the academy’s colours were blue and green, the Accies played in red and white so as to distinguish themselves from the earlier Hamilton Football Club (which folded in 1878).

The Accies competed as founding members of the Lanarkshire Football League from 1893 until, following the resignation of Renton Football Club (1872-1922) in 1897, they were elected to the third division of the Scottish Football League. Since that time, the Accies have reached two Scottish Cup finals (1910/11 and 1934/35), though their spells in the top flight have been mixed. Their best ever top tier performance came in the 1934/35 season, when the Accies finished in fourth place with 48 points, behind Hearts (50), Celtic (52) and Rangers (55).

More recently, at the end of the 2013/14 season, the Accies gained promotion from the Scottish Championship to the Scottish Premiership, joining Dundee in the top tier for the 2014/15 season. Because of 2013’s launch of the Scottish Professional Football League and the restructuring of the Scottish league system, the Accies, who came in just behind Dundee in the Scottish Championship, had another opportunity for promotion by competing in several playoff rounds. There, they faced the Scottish Premiership‘s Hibernian in the second leg of their playoff schedule, playing away at Easter Road with a 0-2 deficit for which they had to make up in order to gain promotion. The Accies performed brilliantly, leading 1-0 at half time and adding a second goal in the 90th minute. After extra time, the score remained 2-0, leaving an aggregate score of 2-2 over two matches, forcing a penalty shootout. In the end, the Hamiltonians were victorious, sending Hibs down to the Scottish Championship and gaining promotion to the top tier for yet another shot at the top tier since their consecutive promotions and relegations in 2008 and 2011, respectively. The Accies’ stay in the top tier would last until the end of the 2020/21 season, when the club finished at the bottom of the table and were relegated to the Scottish Championship.

The Hamilton Academical kit did not feature a badge until 1979, when the current badge was introduced. This badge features a shield with three white cinquefoils derived from the Clan Hamilton coat of arms. The shield is encircled by a ring with the club’s name and founding date. For my redesign, I’ve drawn heavily from the original crest of Hamilton Academy, creating a minimalist ‘HA’ monogram within a shield, topped with a singular white cinquefoil.

I went with the Accies’ classic red and white hoops (used for most home shirts from at least 1876) for the home top and a historical and [an unintentional, though admittedly Inter Milan-esque] black and blue-striped away top. The away strip and both pairs of shorts feature the ‘HA’ monogram alone.

As ever, I am indebted to Dave at Historical Football Kits for some of the historical information used above.

ReBrand: Dundee FC

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Established in 1893 by way of a merger between two Dundee football clubs—East End and Our Boys (both formed in 1877)—throughout the club’s history, Dundee Football Club have experienced their fair share of glory. The club won the Scottish Cup in 1909/10, as well as the Scottish League Cup in 1951/52, 1952/53 and 1973/74. The Dee were also crowned 1961/62 Scottish champions and the following season, they reached the semi-final of the European Cup.

But in 2003, Dundee’s future was put in jeopardy. As a result of accruing a £23m debt, the club was placed in administration. The Dee was able to continue operations after selling their stadium and remained in the second tier until 2012, when they gained unexpected promotion into what was then the Scottish Premier League as a result of the financial collapse of Rangers. Unfortunately, Dundee was knocked back down to the second tier after just one season.

Demonstrating their resilience, Dundee fought successfully to win the 2013/14 Scottish Championship (the second tier in Scottish football after the 2013 founding of the Scottish Professional Football League), beating out Hamilton Academical for the title and gaining promotion back to the top tier. Dundee’s fortunes took another knock at the end of the 2018/19 season, when they finished at the bottom of the Premiership table and were relegated to the Championship once again.

In Dundee’s first season back in the Championship, they finished third, but upon the second asking, came in second behind Hearts, earning themselves a place in the Premiership play-off semi-final against Raith Rovers. Having dispatched the Rovers 3-1 over two legs, Dundee went on to face Premiership side Kilmarnock in the final. Dundee were able to hold on, defeating Killie 4-2 over two legs and joining their city rivals Dundee United in the top tier for the 2021/22 season.

In 1952, the Dee first began sporting a club badge on their tops, featuring ‘DFC’ laid out diagonally, enclosed in shield. In 1955, the club began using the current ‘DFC’ badge. By 1970, a new badge, replacing the shield with a circle and red detail, was used on the kit. 1973 saw the return of the ‘DFC’ monogram, though without a shield. This was used until 1987, when a new badge (a variation of the design that appeared after the Second World War on official blazers and publications) was adopted. In 2008, Dundee returned to their original 1955 badge.

While I have long admired the 1955 badge, for my redesign I wanted to draw out more of the club’s history and locale. I drew inspiration from the laurel wreath featured in the badge used from 1987 to 2008 (which has reappeared for the 2019/20 season), as well as the knotted dragons’ tails in the Dundee coat of arms. I also redesigned the lettering of the monogram to be more uniform and proportioned and have added some implied depth by interweaving the letters. In seeking to comply with the ancient Scottish heraldic law forbidding lettering within a shield which is not approved by the Court of the Lord Lyon (something against which clubs like Airdrieonians and Ayr United have struggled), I have omitted the handsome shield surrounding the monogram.

The home shirt makes use of the traditional Dundee FC colour scheme of dark blue, red and white in a striking geometric arrangement. The away kit is inspired by the 1971/72 home kit and various away kits over the years, most recently, the away kit used for the 2016/17 season.

As ever, I am indebted to Dave at Historical Football Kits for some of the historical information used above.

ReBrand: Celtic FC

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This whole ReBrand project was first inspired by my toying around with the iconic Celtic badge over over many years. Established in 1888, Celtic has become one of the most adorned and respected football clubs in the world. As of the end of the 2018/19 season, their honours include being crowned Scottish champions on 50 occasions, 39 Scottish Cups and 18 Scottish League Cups.

Celtic’s most successful season came in 1966/67, when the club participated in five competitions (the Scottish First Division, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Glasgow Cup and the European Cup), winning each one. Their 2-1 European Cup victory over Inter Milan made Celtic the first British and only Scottish club to have achieved the honour. In addition to these highlights, for three consecutive seasons (2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19), Celtic have won every domestic trophy on offer (nine), completing the first Scottish ‘treble-treble’ (no other Scottish side has even won the domestic treble in two consecutive seasons).

Redesigning the badge of such an iconic football club (with some of the most devoted supporters in the world) was a daunting task, even if my alterations were only for fun.

The beginning of Celtic can be dated from a meeting held in the hall of St Mary’s Catholic Church in the Calton district of Glasgow. The meeting was led by Marist Brother Walfrid (born Andrew Kerins in Ballymote, Ireland), who proposed that a football club be established to raise funds for the alleviation of the rampant poverty in Glasgow’s East End, similar to the mission of Edinburgh’s Hibernian Football Club when it was established in 1875. In fact, on 28 May 1888, when Celtic played their first match (a 5-2 victory over Rangers at Glasgow Green), many of the side’s players were borrowed from Hibernian.

Celtic’s original strip featured a green Celtic cross within a red oval. In 1889 they adopted vertical green and white stripes for their home shirt, without a badge. The vertical stripes were replaced by their now-famous hoops in 1903. During the first half of the twentieth century, the club’s home strip lacked a badge, but their away tops featured a large three-leafed shamrock from time to time between 1925 and 1965. Celtic’s shirts did not feature a regular badge until 1977 (based on a badge that first appeared on the cover of their 50th [Golden] Jubilee Dinner menu in 1938), upon which most of their subsequent badges have been based. In 1988, the club celebrated their centenary with a badge derived from the Celtic cross of their very first badge. The following season they reverted back to their 1977 badge.

In 1994, the badge was updated very slightly and this design remained unaltered until the 2007/08 season, when Celtic celebrated the 40th anniversary of their European Cup victory with the addition of a star.

After the 2007/08 season, the star was retained and the badge remained the same until 2012/13 season, when Celtic celebrated their 125th anniversary by using a 1994 badge encircled by an attractive Celtic knot and an alternative badge featuring a Celtic cross.

For the 2017/18 season, Celtic utilised the badge below, commemorating 50 years since their historic European Cup victory:

I found the cross and the knot from the 2012/13 badges too attractive to disregard entirely. For my redesign, I have incorporated both (with the Celtic cross calling back to the original 1888 badge and the 1988 centenary badge). In addition to the Celtic knot and cross, I changed and centred the typeface.

For the home shirt, to depart from the classic hoops would be anathema. I am a particular fan of the narrow hoops, which saw recent use in the 2012/13 shirt. The away kit colour scheme is taken from many historical Celtic away kits dating from 1973.

As ever, I am indebted to Dave at Historical Football Kits for some of the historical information used above.

ReBrand: Aberdeen FC

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Aberdeen Football Club was established in 1903. Since that time, the club has amassed a variety of honours. This includes seven Scottish Cups (fifth most, behind Celtic, Rangers, Queen’s Park and Hearts) and six Scottish League Cups (third most, behind Rangers and Celtic). The Dons have also been crowned Scottish Champions on four occasions (behind Celtic and Rangers and tied with Hearts and Hibernian, though the Dons’ 17 finishes in the second spot set them above both Hearts and Hibernian).

Within European competition, the Dons have won the UEFA Super Cup (1982/83 – the only Scottish club to have achieved this honour) and the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1982/83 – an honour shared only with Rangers, who won in 1971/72).

Additionally, the Dons are the last club outwith the Old Firm to have been crowned Scottish champions (1984/85). On the final day of the 2017/18 season, Aberdeen clinched the runners-up spot in the league table for the fourth consecutive season, demonstrating once again that they remain a formidable side within Scottish football.

Aberdeen’s current crest has been in use since 1986. For most seasons since 2005, two stars have been placed above the badge, which represent the Dons’ two European honours. I consider this to be a very strong badge, but there are a few weak aspects. For instance, the football looks a bit dated and the ‘AFC’ in the middle is a wee bit redundant (unless used without the accompanying circlet, which Aberdeen did from 1979 until 1986 and then again for the 2014/15 season).

For this redesign, I changed the surrounding typeface and employed a central ‘A’ of my own design, with the silhouette of a fleur-de-lis used as the counter. Because Aberdeen FC was formed by the union of the three Aberdeen-based clubs—the original Aberdeen (1881), Orion (1885) and Victoria United (1889)—I wanted to have some echo of the history and heritage of the city. I settled on the simplicity of the fleur-de-lis, which is featured as a royal tressure within the orle of the coat of arms of the City of Aberdeen. According to tradition, this honour was granted to the city by Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), King of Scots, indicating royal favour.

For Aberdeen’s home kit, I went with the club’s traditional red and white colours. So fond am I of the 2013/14 home and 2015/16 away Adidas kits, that I decided to opt for a large patch of white at the top of the shirt. There away kit is a more elaborate variation of this design, utilising a black, white and gold colour scheme, similar to that used in Aberdeen’s 2015/16 away kit.

As ever, I am indebted to Dave at Historical Football Kits for some of the historical information used above.

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design & illustration

SPFL Premiership

ReBrand: Hamilton Academical FC

ReBrand: Dundee FC

ReBrand: Celtic FC

ReBrand: Aberdeen FC