TONBRIDGE ANGELS FOOTBALL CLUB
Crest Redesign Concept
Passion project for the rebrand and design of the Tonbridge Angels Football Club crest.
Tonbridge Angels was founded in 1947 (as Tonbridge) and currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
The Tonbridge Angels crest uses the arms of the Tonbridge Urban District Council; certain colours have been changed, as well as the motto being removed. The two towers at the top represent Tonbridge Castle. The shield shows a bridge of five arches representing the five waterways that once crossed the High Street. The ship implies the importance to Tonbridge of the River Medway, particularly before the coming of the railway.
Existing Crest
Like many other football teams; Tonbridge Angels utilise an existing coat of arms from their area as their football badge. Over time, teams have modernised their badges by taking a feature from the coat of arms and focusing on that element for the main subject of their new crest. It could be the shield aspect or the outer border.
The main aspects I have taken from the existing crest and my own knowledge of the area are 'Tonbridge Castle', a historic site synonymous with the area and an important part of the coat of arms. 'The Bridge', part of the name of the area and directly links with the river Medway; an important aspect of the Tonbridge areas heritage.
The teams name and nickname 'The Angels' is not represented in the existing crest design, apart from being written. An aspect that I believed needed representing in a more illustrative form.
Such aspects discussed here were very influential when it came to my redesign of the
Tonbridge Angels crest.
The three main aspects I picked out from the existing crest design and identity of the club have been illustrated in a simplified manner and brought together to form a modern crest design.
Set inside a dynamic shield border, a turret with flag flying is present. This aspect represents the historic Tonbridge Castle. Its placement acts as if it is set behind the bridge element in order to give the badge a layered feel, while not being overly complex.
The bridge with arches and waves represent the 'Tonbridge' name as well as the river Medway. I chose to simplify the bridge by not having the five arches seen on the traditional coat of arms as I wanted the design to be as minimal and clean as possible.
I chose to incorporate the teams name inside the crest rather than having it as a secondary element outside of its borders.
To represent the second part of the teams name and nickname 'The Angels', the emblem which consists of a halo over a football was created. This representation of the clubs identity acts as a secondary element to the body of the crest, whilst still serving the valuable purpose of relating to the clubs identity.
Single Colour Variant (1)
Single Colour Variant (2)
The way the logo has been constructed means it can be displayed in a single colour variant. This is very important as having too many colours can be hard to construct a sleek final design when it comes to embroidery or being put on other mediums. By being able to use only one colour over the whole design also means it is easier to change; for instance on home and away kits the background colour of the shirt would define what colour the crest will be.
This new logo has been created by taking aspects from the existing crest, reworking them into a simplified form whilst still ensuring their representation remains genuine and meaningful. Presenting these elements in in a modern, dynamic format that is structured and minimal, brings Tonbridge Angels crest up to date with modern design.
Logo Variants Embroidered Mockups
