Passion project for the rebrand and design of the Southborough Football Club crest.

Southborough FC was founded in 1895 and are based in the Tunbridge Wells area. They currently run three adult teams; representing the club in the Kent County League (Division Two Central East) and Sevenoaks District Premier. 

The Southborough crest uses the arms of the Southborough Town Council; all colours have remained the same. Added are the team name and motto 'Propria Tuemur' (we look after what is ours) displayed around the crest. The tree recalls the former 'Bounds Oak' on the Great Bounds Estate. The red roundel and billets refer to the cricket ball industry, long associated with Southborough, and the brick making industry which led to the growth of High Brooms. The ram's head represents the old weaving industry.

Like many other football teams; Southborough utilise an existing coat of arms from their area as their football badge. Some alter colour schemes or features, but in the most part they stay true to the existing coat of arms. In this instance however, the original colours from the coat of arms have stayed and the badge has not adopted the main colours of the team; black and green. 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.

Such aspects discussed here were very influential when it came to my redesign of the 

Southborough crest.

The stand out feature from the existing coat of arms used by Southborough was the 'Black Ram' at the top. This motive also features on the Southborough Town Council arms (weaving industry from the area). I feel the Ram was a strong emblem to base the new design around. Also, being a black ram and the colours synonymous with the club being green and black, was also a factor.

  A more polished version of this emblem depicted in a simplified manner was the path I chose to base my crest redesign for the club around. Heavily inspired by how Liverpool depict the 'Liver Bird' on the current kits; with no shield surround was a personal choice that I believe works. The way the badge is displayed in a single colour and simple structure allows the design to remain prominent without the need of a protective boundary. 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.

The inclusion of the football is obviously intended to visually represent the sport this team is playing. The concept behind the flag is meant to visually represent the club proudly displaying their colours. 'Bannermen' traditional lead the way and give courage and direction to its followers. It also is a mark of territory, staking your claim to and area. In this case on the football pitch (flag goes into the football).