Red jersey to return in 2024.
CHICAGO, IL–When Chicago Fire FC unveiled their current logo back before the 2020 season, it was met with much derision and mockery. Plus, there was no fan input whatsoever. Owner Joe Mansueto has listened to the fans and went back to the drawing board. This time, with much more fan input and more local involvement.
To all who added their voice, thank you. pic.twitter.com/1OkdcB0Ztl
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) June 18, 2021
After over 10,000 fan responses, 500+ hours of dedicated time from fans via roundtable, and over 225,000+ words written via website submission, the new logo for the 2022 season (the club’s 25th) was unveiled on Friday.
The new crest’s primary elements – a six-pointed star contained within the letter “C,” surrounded by a modernized Florian cross incorporating the Chicago city flag colors – were the most commonly requested items across all fan touchpoints. Over the course of the project – which kicked off January 8, 2021 – the Club heard from all 77 Chicago community areas, 152 cities across Illinois, 28 states, and 10 countries outside of the U.S.
The new crest was designed by Matthew Wolf.
“This was the most unique branding project I’ve ever been a part of,” said Wolff. “Hearing from fans – both new and old – while I was designing was so inspiring. I hope we’ve created something that can represent this historic Club and city for generations to come.”
“As much as this project was about the creation of a new crest for the Chicago Fire, it was also about renewing a spirit of cooperation and collaboration with our fans,” Fire owner Joe Mansueto said in a news release. “We made a commitment in January to welcome anyone who wanted to lend their voice to this project and the result is a crest that was fully and completely inspired by what we heard from our fans and supporters. We’re hopeful all will wear the new crest with pride and feel it represents not only this storied club, but also the great city of Chicago.”
The current “Fire Crown” badge will remain in use until the end of the 2021 season. The new crest will be in full use at the start of the 2022 preseason as the club prepares for its 25th season in MLS.
This year’s secondary kit – the white Lakefront shirt – will carry over into 2022 and will feature the new crest. Next year, the Club will unveil a new navy blue primary kit that has been in production for more than a year and will be worn during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Design for the next home kit will begin in the Spring of 2022 as the team prepares to formally return to red home kits for the 2024 season.
Fans will get to see the new crest on merchandise as a limited number of items featuring the new crest will be available at upcoming Chicago Fire matchdays at Soldier Field. The first opportunity to secure an item featuring the new crest is on July 3rd when the Fire take on Atlanta United FC at Soldier Field. 10,000 woven patches will be given away upon entry on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Club also today announced plans for a week-long celebration October 4th-8th, culminating with a Club event on Friday, Oct. 8 – the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire as well as the date of the Club’s founding in 1997 at Navy Pier. The festivities that week will include the reveal of all-new apparel, a series of giveaways, and other special activations and events to be announced at a later date.
COMMENT: This is much better! One of the worst things about the “Fire Crown” logo is that it had nothing to do with Chicago itself (unless you count businessman Arie Crown for whom a theater is named after at McCormick Place). Plus, it didn’t help that the logo had similarities to a notorious street gang.
This new logo is a partial throwback to the original crest and it incorporates the color on the city’s flag. There’s also the promise of the return to red home shirts in 2024. Whereas the current logo had nothing to do with Chicago, this one has everything to do with Chicago and screams, “Chicago”. It is a step in the right direction. Now it’s the product on the pitch that needs to get back in the right direction.
Chicago Fire
Eastern Conference
