England Cricket wants to attract new audiences through a refreshed identity that unites the men\u2019s, women\u2019s and disability teams.<\/p>\n
The new look, which was created by The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)\u2019s in-house team and sports branding agency Matta<\/a>, is rolling out this summer. It can be seen on digital platforms and social graphics, print, merchandise and in-stadium graphics.<\/p>\n The move was driven in part by the swashbuckling style, known as Bazball, that the men\u2019s team play \u2013 just yesterday they lost a nail-biting match to India, widely seen as the best Test series since the 2005 Ashes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in an incredibly exciting time for England cricket,\u201d says ECB marketing director Jen Vile.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got the men\u2019s team playing really dynamic and attention-grabbing cricket, we\u2019ve got the women\u2019s team about to play in a World Cup on home soil next year, and we\u2019ve got disability teams that are increasing in profile, and playing in ever more high profile stadia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to make sure we had an England brand that reflects this moment in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Vile says the ECB wants to build on the current momentum and attract new fans to the game.<\/p>\n She says the new look had to reflect how the teams show up off the pitch \u2013 \u201ctheir interactions with fans, their personalities, the causes they support and the work they do to promote our brilliant sport.\u201d That meant finding ways to \u201cshowcase our players as individuals\u201d which is an important part of engaging younger fans in particular.<\/p>\n But she and the team were also conscious not to alienate existing fans, or overlook the sport\u2019s proud history.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s either\/or,\u201d she says. \u201cWe wanted to bring new audiences into the fold, but we also wanted continuity, because we have built a lot of brand equity. It\u2019s all part of this rich fabric of a living, breathing brand.\u201d<\/p>\n The aim, she says, was to \u201crevitalise\u201d rather than rebrand.<\/p>\n And ECB marketing manager Hayley Reed explains that research shows new fans are more drawn to sports that have deep-rooted traditions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to have a story they can get behind and learn about,\u201d she says. \u201cThe design team has done a great job of remembering what we stand for, and ensuring that we pick the right bits and move them forward.\u201d<\/p>\n MATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket<\/p>\n The project started with a huge consultation exercise, gathering input from fans, players, coaching staff and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n One of the key challenges was to create consistency for the overarching brand, with enough flexibility to be adapted to three different teams, explains Matta\u2019s executive creative director, Matt Campbell.<\/p>\n And there was more complexity, because there are also three formats \u2013 Test, limited-over and T20 \u2013 which each have slightly different personalities.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the women\u2019s Test visual language is slightly different to men\u2019s T20, versus the disability limited-overs,\u201d Campbell says. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to show a little bit of distinctiveness, and it pretty quickly becomes a matrix structure.\u201d<\/p>\n The design system is inspired by the technical aspects of cricket, from the structure of the pitch, like the field and the middle, to the wagon wheel diagrams commonly used to visualise individual performances, or specific passages of play.<\/p>\n \u201cCricket is one of the most heavily infographic-ed sports, so there was quite a lot to bounce off,\u201d Campbell explains.<\/p>\n MATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket<\/p>\n But the team wanted to balance this data-inspired visual language with a more emotional brand motif. \u201cWe were missing an element of passion, pride and energy \u2013 from the players but also from the crowd, and how involved they get,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Inspired by the lion in the crest, the team developed a visual representation of a lion\u2019s roar, built around the actual wavelength created by that evocative sound.<\/p>\n That visual device also changes according to its context, so in Test graphics it is used in quite a formal way, while for T20 it has \u201cmore immediate, explosive energy.\u201d<\/p>\n The tone of voice also flexes depending on the use-case. The team built what it calls a \u201ctones of one voice\u201d document, and Campbell likens the TOV to a \u201cgraphic equaliser\u201d that can be dialled up and down.<\/p>\n While maintaining overall cohesion, the language used should reflect each team\u2019s specific objectives \u2013 more heritage-conscious for the men\u2019s team, more celebratory and promotional for the women\u2019s team, and bringing an education layer to the disability teams, without watering down the focus on skill.<\/p>\n MATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket<\/p>\n There are two typefaces used in the new identity \u2013 Gotham<\/em> as a sans serif and Beaufort<\/em> as a serif, which speaks more to the traditions of the game, although it\u2019s used in dynamic ways.<\/p>\n Reed explains the design team studied how Premier League football clubs have been leaning into serif fonts in recent rebrands, but that didn\u2019t feel like the right direction for England Cricket.<\/p>\n The aim is to create a \u201cmodern classic\u201d feel with the type \u2013 so, for example, there is a clear hierarchy with Beaufort<\/em> as the secondary font, and the brand guidelines dictate that the word \u201cEngland\u201d should always be shown in Gotham<\/em>.<\/p>\n Vile explains that as a \u201clong-term play to grow the fanbase,\u201d the impact of the new branding won\u2019t be clear for a couple of years.<\/p>\n But, Reed says, the early indications are encouraging. Popular former players like Stuart Broad have welcomed the new branding.<\/p>\n And the ECB has already seen \u201csignificant improvements\u201d in how the 19 county cricket organisations they work with are adopting and promoting the new identity.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a really key measure for success, to have those counties onboarded and aligned to our vision,\u201d Reed says.<\/p>\n MATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket
\nMATTA\u2019s refreshed visual identity for England Cricket<\/p>\n