With the Prince Rupert Tower sitting at the heart of Everton Football Club’s crest since 1938, design agency DixonBaxi recently faced the challenge of deciding how to remake it. Called to carry out a full rebrand for the club, the London-based agency has rooted the new look in the club’s visual history, channeling a “if it ain’t broke” mentality. “We felt that the version displayed on the shirt, which is loved by fans, need not be touched for the sake of creating a brand,” says senior designer Matt Caldwell.
At the same time, a simplified version of the symbol pays homage to the original tower with a silhouette form. This new tower form coexists with the crest “serving different purposes but under one story and shape,” adds Caldwell. And the tower form extends even further across the work; a custom typeface, Rupert Condensed, features similarly dynamic angles and pointed tips. DixonBaxi has also developed a series of patterns which sees the symbol repeated across various touchpoints. According to Caldwell, the addition provides “a sophisticated edge to the brand toolkit which allows us to stitch detail into physical items.”