Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
The proliferation of mobile phones, tablets and laptops has changed the landscape over the past decade. Where once the aim was to make badges as ornate as possible, simplification is now the order of the day. In order to see the elements of a logo clearly in a small viewing area, intricate detail is a non-starter. Bayern have recently done away with excessive features on their insignia and Juve created a completely new one, partially inspired by Japanese anime.
There is a lot to cram into such a small design: it needs to be recognisable within milliseconds, easy to reproduce in a variety of sizes and workable on every kind of surface. And, perhaps most importantly for the clubs in question, it needs to appeal to the youth market. That last point can’t be underestimated, as demonstrated by Inter’s new fourth shirt. It’s a late 80s/early 90s smorgasbord of yellow, blue and black on white; an urban streetwear look on a football garment. It wouldn’t look out of place in a hip-hop video or skateboard park.
It’s part of a total rebrand by the 2010 Champions League winners, who have also devised the “I M” slogan; it’s a play on words of the club’s initials and “I am”. The club says it sums up their link to their home city but also welcomes the world – and the next generation. Perhaps by way of apologising for defeating Bayern in the 2010 final, Inter enlisted Munich-based agency Bureau Borsche to come up with the new badge. The accompanying blurb has this to say: “The focus is on the letters ‘I’ and ‘M’, which have been preserved from Giorgio Muggiani’s original design and are framed by the classic concentric circles. The colours have been made more vibrant and vivid.”
What do you think? Is the rebranding of logos an interesting element of modern football or would you prefer to see the originals preserved? Something to discuss – and if you’ve got designs on letting us know, we’d love to hear from you.
Email us: info@champions-journal.com
Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
The proliferation of mobile phones, tablets and laptops has changed the landscape over the past decade. Where once the aim was to make badges as ornate as possible, simplification is now the order of the day. In order to see the elements of a logo clearly in a small viewing area, intricate detail is a non-starter. Bayern have recently done away with excessive features on their insignia and Juve created a completely new one, partially inspired by Japanese anime.
There is a lot to cram into such a small design: it needs to be recognisable within milliseconds, easy to reproduce in a variety of sizes and workable on every kind of surface. And, perhaps most importantly for the clubs in question, it needs to appeal to the youth market. That last point can’t be underestimated, as demonstrated by Inter’s new fourth shirt. It’s a late 80s/early 90s smorgasbord of yellow, blue and black on white; an urban streetwear look on a football garment. It wouldn’t look out of place in a hip-hop video or skateboard park.
It’s part of a total rebrand by the 2010 Champions League winners, who have also devised the “I M” slogan; it’s a play on words of the club’s initials and “I am”. The club says it sums up their link to their home city but also welcomes the world – and the next generation. Perhaps by way of apologising for defeating Bayern in the 2010 final, Inter enlisted Munich-based agency Bureau Borsche to come up with the new badge. The accompanying blurb has this to say: “The focus is on the letters ‘I’ and ‘M’, which have been preserved from Giorgio Muggiani’s original design and are framed by the classic concentric circles. The colours have been made more vibrant and vivid.”
What do you think? Is the rebranding of logos an interesting element of modern football or would you prefer to see the originals preserved? Something to discuss – and if you’ve got designs on letting us know, we’d love to hear from you.
Email us: info@champions-journal.com
Giorgio Muggiani didn't worry about legibility on a small screen when he designed FC Internazionale Milano’s first crest in 1908. But today it’s crucial and it’s the reason why many clubs – including, most recently, Inter – are updating their visuals. In a multiplatform era, visibility is key.
Muggiani, born in 1887, was one of Inter’s founding members. Originally a card-carrying AC Milan man, he left to form the Lombardian city’s second club with 43 others after a disagreement. As a gifted artist he was the natural choice to develop the new team’s visual identity.
The early circular logo was inspired by English club crests, at a time when Italian football took its cues from Britain. Off the back of it, Muggiani earned admirers outside the beautiful game and went on to work for a range of companies, including motorcycle group Moto Guzzi, tyre manufacturer Pirelli and sophisticated drinks makers Cinzano and Martini. As a motoring enthusiast he embodied the futurist movement, which celebrated advances in technology and delivered otherworldly, avant-garde art.
Illiteracy was high in Italy in those days and so Muggiani understood the importance of strong, instantly recognisable motifs. Reams of text were nowhere near as effective as a distinctive, pleasing shape with a single word or group of letters within. Inter wore Muggiani’s brainchild on their strips for many years, administering a tweak here or there.
