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S-PULSE

Rebranding a Japanese J.League Football Club

Shimizu S-Pulse, a football club in the J.League (Japans professional football league) unveiled a new visual identity in December 2019. The rebrand, led by Takram's Kinya Tagawa, introduces a modernised logo, which has been used since the start of the 2020 season.

S-Pulse Rebranding Launch Special Website

Main Visual

Rather than coming up with an entirely new logo, we decided to build on the previous design, which was based on feedback from loyal fans and supporters, and in preserving the orange club colour, we were passing on Shimizu S-Pulse's legacy to the next generation.

The new crest underwent a two-year iteration process before arriving at the final design. Orange has been made the primary logo colour whilst the upper section of the shield has been modified to bear a greater resemblance to the iconic shape of Mount Fuji's perfect cone to symbolise the team's representation of Shizuoka the home of Mount Fuji. We retained the three blue stripes, which represent the club's philosophy Common Dream, Common Excitement, Common Pride and updated the club name typography and placement to communicate sportsmanship and integrity. The enhanced Earth icon symbolises the club's world-class performance.

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Project Information

  • Client: S-PULSE
  • Expertise: Brand
  • Year: 2021

Project Team

  • Project Direction: Kinya Tagawa
  • Creative & Art Direction: Kinya Tagawa
  • Emblem Design: Ken Okamoto, Yamato Iizuka (Ken Okamoto Design Office)Kinya TagawaDaiki Nakamori
  • Typeface Design: Ken Okamoto, Yamato Iizuka (Ken Okamoto Design Office)
  • Character Design: Maki Ota (ex-Takram)
  • Motion Graphic Design: Zijun Zhao
  • Application Design: Takram, Ken Okamoto Design Office
  • Design Research & Concept Making: Takram
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Kinya Tagawa
Design Engineer, Project Director
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Zijun Zhao
Designer, Project Director
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Daiki Nakamori
Industrial Designer, Project Director

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