JUVENTUS : NEW BADGE UNVIELED

On Monday evening, Juventus presented their new logo at Milan’s Science and Technology museum. Hyped as “The Future, Tonight,” 500 guests were led from one room to another. “Each step was a step into a new era.” 

The re-design was then toasted with 1897 cocktails created specially for the occasion by mixologist Tommaso Cecca who drew inspiration from the year of the club’s foundation. Giorgio Moroder, a multiple Oscar winning composer and songwriter, stood behind the decks, playing a DJ set. Juventus presumably hoped the logo would have the same effect on the audience as the song he wrote for Berlin: "Take my breath away."

Moroder was welcomed on stage as someone Juventus see themselves in; an example of Italian excellence, forever innovating to stay successful and relevant while also remaining true to their identity. This was the theme of the night. 

It’s easy to be cynical about the logo change and conflate it with everything else that’s wrong with modern football. People will ask whether it was really necessary and why, despite it’s simplicity, it is so radically different from the original crest and other variations of it. The retouches Roma and Inter recently did to their badges, for instance, were much more subtle. 

Whatever you think about the emblem, and it is dividing opinion on social media, this serves as yet another example of why Juventus remain ahead of the competition not only on the pitch in Italy, but off it too.  Monday’s event was evocative of when Andrea Agnelli opened the J Stadium five and a half years ago, a watershed moment in the club’s history, the foundation stone of the new Juventus. Speaking on stage, Agnelli, who worked in marketing for Ferrari and Philip Morris before following in the footsteps of his father Umberto and uncle Gianni to become president of Juventus in 2010, quoted a line from Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric. “Change before you have to.” Get out in front of it. 

Juventus have unveiled a new badge as part of their efforts to grow their worldwide brand as a business and football club.

Previously, a variation of the crest displayed on Juve shirts had the club’s name, their famous black and white stripes and a bull, which is the symbol of Turin, where the Serie A champions are based.

The new design is more futuristic and minimalist, still black and white, but with a prominent ‘J’ and will be used from July 2017. President Andrea Agnelli says the move was designed to “define” the club’s style as they look to expand the business side of Juventus.

“We have tried to define what we are, not only today. Today we launch what we want to be and what defines us, which is our new logo here behind us,” Agnelli said.

“Why do we need this new logo? Because we need to define not only a sense of belonging to something, but also to define Juventus’ style, which can relate to certain targets such as children, women, youth.

“We aim at getting them closer to us not only through football, which will always be our essence, but also through our way of being and existing, through our own style.

“It is a style that belongs to other brands too. We are football, football is our essence, but through football we do want to communicate certain values leading to football but at the same time going beyond it. Juventus looks at a growingly wider audience.

“My feelings in seeing the new logo are connected with seeing it next to the trophy of a victory, either in Italy or in Europe.”

Juventus players including Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain joined club legend and vice-president Pavel Nedved in attending the launch of the new badge at a ceremony in Milan.