UEFA Europa League launches edgier brand identity

In anticipation of the new season, the UEFA Europa League will feature a refreshed brand identity. The branding continues to be inspired by the strong bond between players and fans but now has more emphasis on the scale and dynamic nature of the competition.

The refined energy wave takes key elements from the UEFA Europa League trophy©UEFA.com

While key elements such as the logo and colours remain, the visual expression has taken on bolder and edgier shapes. The existing 'energy wave', visualising the connection between players and fans, has transformed into a linear device that visually underlines the journey of the clubs throughout Europe.

Inspired by the trophy
The refined energy wave takes key elements from the UEFA Europa League trophy and brings them to life. It derives from the cup's triangular, hammered metal sides. The trophy's angular shape has also led to the structure and movement of the energy wave, expressing the highs and lows of the thrilling adventure clubs and their supporters experience in the UEFA Europa League.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director: "The refreshed identity is bolder and more daring than before. It will stand out more and help us to engage with fans across multiple touch points."

Ownable branding
The energy wave has become more expressive. Therefore it supports, together with the core branding assets, better opportunities for UEFA and its partners to own the brand. This will help to make the product more recognisable and visually connect to the fans and other stakeholders.

The refined brand identity has been built to support digital, mobile and social media platforms©UEFA.com

Catering for digital 
The refined brand identity has been built to support digital, mobile and social media platforms. The new assets allow for an easier, scalable brand integration, from soft to full-branding, on smaller surfaces and devices. All motion assets have been produced to cater for ultra-high definition broadcasting requirements.

Flexible design system
The multiple stakeholder brand usage required a more flexible branding system for the various online, on-air and off-air touch points. The broad range of key visuals allows for more branding variation and flexibility while ensuring consistency of the overall look. The new design system supports photography and footage integration. This allows partners to integrate their identity and therefore create a strong visual association between them and the UEFA Europa League.

Vincenzo Lagattolla, Creative Director, Sky Italia: "The new identity is dynamic and expresses the UEFA Europa League in an appealing, engaging way."

New music
A new anthem has been composed to capture the passion and energy of UEFA Europa League match nights. The UEFA Europa League anthem is an uplifting and powerful expression that reflects the nature of the competition. It combines modern and classical elements, paying homage to tradition while also looking towards the future.

Yong-Won (Bryan) Cho, Chief Marketing Officer, Kia Motors: "The new brand identity is vibrant and bold. It's a good match with Kia's brand image and 'The Power to Surprise' global brand slogan."

The energy wave has been incorporated in the new official match ball supplied by Molten (images are for illustrative purposes only)©UEFA.com

Official match ball
The brand identity featuring the energy wave has been incorporated in the new official match ball of the UEFA Europa League, supplied by Molten. The design expresses the dynamic nature of the competition and the journey of the club throughout Europe.

The competition
The UEFA Europa League is the biggest European club football competition both in regards to geographical scale and number of matches. Given the diversity of the 48 clubs, the competition is very dynamic, hard to predict and always good for a surprise. The nature of the UEFA Europa League is competitive: players and fans together are challenging the status quo and this is all reflected in the new brand identity.

The rebranding of the UEFA Europa League gives the competition a unique identity that will be applied across a wide range of promotional applications, with the objective of further enhancing the appeal of one of European club football's most cherished and historic tournaments.

The new brand identity has been developed in collaboration with UEFA's marketing partner, TEAM Marketing and branding agency Turquoise (visual identity) and MassiveMusic (anthem).

For more insights about the new identity visit:
http://uelbranding.uefa.com/

To download the new brand identity visuals go to:
https://uefa.box.com/v/UEFAEuropaLeagueBranding 
or
https://uefa.newsmarket.com/

For any enquiries please contact:

UEFA Media & Public Relations
Route de Genève 46         
Case postale                     
CH-1260 Nyon 2                         
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0) 848 04 2727   
Email: media@uefa.ch