The third edition of the Indian Super League is truly underway, with teams now neck to neck in the points table. With that in mind, we take a look at the logos of the teams and decipher what they mean and represent. Each team logo represents something that is indicative of the culture, history or geography of the city or region where the team is based and also projects the vision of the franchise.
#1 Delhi Dynamos FC
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The logo of the Delhi Dynamos has been totally revamped from the flying boot in the first season, to the royal lion this time around. It has been designed to define power, aggression and passion, which is intrinsic to football as well as the people of Delhi. The shape and mane of the Lion has been crafted in the form of a shield, a shape that is seen in various club logos all over the world.
The colours used in the crest are red and blue, where red is associated with strength, determination and desire and blue has been used to represent calmness and responsibility. The darker shade connotes strength, reliability and royalty. The subtle usage of saffron and green, on each side of ‘FC’, which shows the primary focus of the club is to promote and develop football and sport in India.
The letter ‘D’ in the font of Delhi and Dynamos is a forward moving arrow which tells us about the forward thinking, attacking mindset of the football team. The logo also features the iconic Red Fort, a landmark feature of the culture and history of the city.
#2 Kerala Blasters
The logo of the Kerala Blasters, designed by Brash Brands, reflects the cultural and sporting legacy of Kerala symbolised by the elephant. Brash built an identity around this, reflecting on the animal's cultural prominence in Kerala, a region with one of the highest population density of elephants in India. The elephant is also symbolic of unity, power and pride – elements that bind the Kerala Blasters team together.
The football held by the elephant with its trunk, showcases the state’s deep connection with the sport, and rightly so, as it has given the national team various heroes and stars over the years, including the legend IM Vijayan himself. The new brand mark, therefore, captures the power, aspiration and essence of team spirit, community and state pride.
#3 Pune City FC
This logo is designed by Mumbai-based Activ Eight Dimensions. Being a Pune based club, they looked at local/historical visual depictions that would blend with their philosophy. The fort shaped logo pays tribute to the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior, who was a master at building forts and defence strategy.
Pune served as his military base and coincidentally his battle ploys resembled the attack and defence strategies used in football. Shivaji and his army were also famed for their horse riding skills during battle, which has also featured on the logo.
The flag on top of the fort in the logo conveyed victory, while the colour orange – a Shivaji associated colour, combined with the colour purple, the colour of the Fiorentina Club, Italy with whom the club has tied up. The lily, below the football, is the official symbol of the city fo Florence, where the club Fiorentina is based, which blends seamlessly into the logo. The motif – Passion, Honour, Glory represents the vision of the club and its motto.
#4 Mumbai City FC
The blue and white crest is topped with a resilient fortress wall that stands proudly, surrounding the logo. The wall signifies the unrelenting, determined spirit of the city that is so famous for. The seven stars, bold and regal, symbolize the seven islands that form the city of Mumbai.
The local trains that are the very lifeline of the city, pulsing, beating a staccato rhythm as they ply millions of Mumbaikars across its vast expanse, every single day tirelessly, connect these islands and are a unique cultural symbol of the city and are aptly featured on the logo of the team representing Mumbai, The blue and white colour combination is the same as the colour of their kits.
#5 Atletico de Kolkata
The team logo is the sublime amalgam of Spanish-Bengali cultural elements and brings out the collaboration of the team with Atletico Madrid. It symbolizes power, magnificence and fierceness of the Royal Bengal Tiger hybridized with The Phoenix, a mythical creature that denotes perpetuity. The tiger's stripes in the logo indicate that this is a team that has earned its stripes thanks to the pedigree and legacy inherited, first from Kolkata's long-standing association with football, and second, from the expertise brought in by Atletico de Madrid.
The five stars that form a circle in tandem with the Tiger's wing-span represent the five owners of Atletico de Kolkata. The colour red that denotes energy, danger, strength, power and determination is infused with a touch of blue- which brings stability, loyalty, wisdom, and faith. The yellow-gold, reserved for the winged tiger and the five stars, reinforces the sense of royalty, majesty and illustriousness that is part and parcel of Atletico de Kolkata's identity. The red and blue also indicate the colours of the parent club, Atletico Madrid.
#6 Chennaiyin FC
'Duradrishti', also called simply as ‘Drishti’, is a sign of positivity that the club espouses and aims to preserve. The logo adopted the image from the good luck charm that is a component of every household in Tamil Nadu, and thus represents the capital city as well as the entire state.
What's more interesting is that the charm is replicated with the same characteristics in countries such as Turkey, Spain and Italy, which gives it a uniquely global identity. A dissection of the logo’s colours, which is a combination of the yellow ‘Drishti’ on a blue background, reveals that whilst the yellow emits elements key to happiness such as hope and cheer, the blue accompanies these feelings with trust and honesty.
#7 FC Goa
Designed by Mumbai-based Skarma Communications, the FC Goa official club logo is a combination of Goa's State animal the Gaur (Indian bison) and a shield. The Gaur stands out fiercely to protect its turf. The logo symbolises strength, attack and defence, all of which epitomise the Goan club, a state that is synonymous with Indian football.
The logo of FC Goa personifies the character of Goan football and the fundamentals of the team. The colours of FC Goa are blue and orange. Blue symbolises the sea since the coastline is an integral part of Goan life, the colour adds to the indigenous personality of the team while orange is the colour of sunrise, it denotes the awakening and rise of the team.
#8 NorthEast United FC
The club name North East United FC represents the vision to unite the eight states of the North East through football. This idea of a united North East is manifested in the team logo. The team logo is a simple crest with eight stars, one for each state, which are Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. The club logo signifies a shield explaining the virtue of defending their team at all costs.
The crest uses colors red, black and white, which also feature on the team’s official kit. The simplicity of the team is very refreshing as it believes in the virtues of hard work and focus.
