Takram assembled a team across its New York and Tokyo studios to lead the creative direction of the J.League’s brand evolution. In December 2023, the J.League set out its aim of competing on the global stage and resolved to move the start of its season to August, in line with the global football calendar. Working alongside the league through this major transformation, Takram drew on perspectives from Tokyo and New York—inside and outside Japan—to define the design concept “Common Ground,” which brings out a distinctly Japanese character that sets the league apart globally, while letting each club’s and player’s individuality shine. Building on this concept, the team designed everything from the visual identity to operational frameworks and impact measurement.
The brand movie, released on August 7, 2026, as the 2026/27 season opened, expresses the new brand’s philosophy and the league’s vision for the future through its clubs, players, and fans and supporters.
“Common Ground” is a foundation that places the league’s Japanese character front and center while letting each club and player’s individuality stand out.
Flare is a newly developed graphic element. It features a sharp, ascending arc that evokes the trajectory of a football in motion, and the energy rising from the pitch. Its design incorporates the curved and straight lines that form the J.League symbol.
The league colors are black and white. Because the league holds no color of its own, the colors of the 60 clubs stand out. We defined the tones between black and white as a gradation that captures both the beauty of shadow and the rush of the game.
“J.League Sans” is a bespoke Latin typeface. It brings the stroke movement of Japanese characters into its letterforms. Set alongside Japanese text, its visual size and center of gravity align naturally.
A web-based brand guide, open to the public so that everyone who works with the brand has access to the same standards, from J.League departments and all 60 clubs to production companies.
League Logos: Alongside the J1, J2, and J3 logos, we also designed a league logo that brings all three divisions together. Because the logos are used everywhere from digital platforms to stadiums, we pared down the elements to prioritize visibility and ease of application.
Logo System for League Services: Using the new bespoke Latin typeface “J.League Sans,” we set rules for how each logo relates to the symbol and how much clear space surrounds it. Even as new services are added, their logos can be built with the same consistent approach.
Creative Applications: Creative applications utilizing the visual identity. Set in the league colors of black and white, these applications bring out the intensity of the match and the energy of the players.
Applications in Club Colors: Flare, the graphic element, and J.League Sans, the typeface, keep the J.League’s character intact, while the club colors highlight the individuality of the 60 clubs.
Match Broadcast Graphics: With the match itself as the focal point, we aimed to build the new visual identity naturally into the broadcast.
Stadium Creative: We extended the visual identity to everything people see in the venue, from logos on the pitch-side LED boards to staff passes, photographers’ bibs, VAR graphics, and flags.
Official Website Redesign: We redesigned the J.League’s official website around the new visual identity. It is built to function seamlessly even on information-heavy screens like standings, schedules, and results.
We applied the new visual identity to items used in daily work, from business cards and card holders to the things league staff handle every day.
Information
- ClientJ.LEAGUE (Japan Professional Football League)
- Year2024- (Ongoing)
- StudioNew YorkTokyo
- Expertise
Project Team
- Project Direction:
- Brand Design:
- VI & Graphic Design:
- Project Advisory:
- Brand Strategy & Verbal Identity Design:
- Broadcast Graphic Strategy:
- UI/UX Design:
- Software Engineering:
- Iconography:
- 3DCG & Motion Design:
- Sonic Branding Strategy:
- Industrial Design:
Collaborators
- Brand Design:Mari Iwahara (ex-Takram)
- VI & Graphic Design:Mika Tohmon
- Graphic Design:Takumi AranoKosuke NomaMiu Tokunaga
- Prototyping:Takeshi Saijo
- Type Design:Noël LeuJamie MichikiKatja SchimmelLorenzo PoderiniTobias Rechsteiner (Grilli Type)
- Photography:Shinya Sato (SHINYA SATO PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE)
- Photography Production:Sho Nawa (city inc.)
- Retouching:Hiroyuki Nakagawa (Gris Inc.)
- Project Management:Chiaki ShimizuFuka Itabashi (ALFALFA DESIGN STUDIO)
- Brand Film & Website - Production:Kazuya OkadaYoko ManabeAyano Ishimaru (SHIFTBRAIN)
- Brand Film & Website - Front-End Development:Tsubasa Nishihara (SHIFTBRAIN)
- Brand Film - Sound Design:Kosuke Anamizu
- Brand Website - Design:Takuma Okumura (tsukuru)
- Brand Website - Front-End Development:Takumi Hasegawa (unshift)
- Brand Applications - Art Direction:Tatsuhiko Matsumoto (Wab Design)
- Brand Applications - Design:Naho AndoKatsuyo KawamoriRen OshimaArthur Kikuchi (Wab Design)
- Brand Applications - Project Management:Naho Ando (Wab Design)
- English Copy Editing:Jonathan Genki FujimuraEmmy Reis
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