Major sporting events like The Euros, Wimbledon or the Olympics all have one thing in common: they have their own brand. Why is branding sporting events so important and what can we learn from sport event brands in terms of packaging design? How do you create a logo which represents the hosting country and what does that mean for logo design in general? Digital Creative Packaging analyse Euro 2016 to provide you with some insights.

Why branding sporting events is important?

Sporting events are a great opportunity for the hosting country to represent itself. How do you best represent the hosting country? It is important for the sport event branding to clearly show a connection to the country, especially in the sport event logo. The logo is probably the most important part of branding a sport event. It is used in official communication, advertising, sponsorship and for merchandising. To make sure no one else can make use of the brand and cause possible damage to both the sport event’s and country’s image, the brands or trademarks are protected. This ensures that the value and integrity of the event are maintained and gives consumers the confidence that advertisements and products are authentic.

What to avoid when you create a logo?

Instead of telling you how to brand a sport event, we want to start with a little advice on how not to do it. Remember The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the troubles with their logo design? For all of you who don’t, here’s a little summary. Last summer, The Olympic Committee presented the official logo for the Olympics in Tokyo. Shortly after, accusations of plagiarism were all over social media. The designer denied any form of plagiarism, yet there seem to have been other cases of plagiarism by his design agency as well. When the Olympic Committee got news of that, they dropped the logo and called for the Japanese citizens to take part in a design contest. A few weeks ago, they finally introduced the new logo.

This is something you definitely want to avoid, no matter if you’re creating a new logo design for a sport event brand or a company. Months of negative press can shed some bad light on the sport event before it even started, ultimately impacting the hosting country as well. Now think of the sport event as a product and the host company as a company. It would work exactly the same in this case, don’t you think? So, choose your designer wisely – trustworthiness is a key factor in this decision! At Digital Creative Packaging, you can be sure to work with honest and reliable experts.

Analysing the Euro 2016 logo

When you create a logo for a sport event, you have to consider the sport’s history as well as the hosting country’s culture, history and legends even. There’s so much to think about when trying to understand a country’s identity. Both the old and new logo design of the Tokyo Olympics are doing a great job representing the host country and its culture. And so does the logo of the Euro 2016.

The Euro 2016 logo design clearly uses France’s national colours: blue, white and red, which makes everyone immediately recognise where the Euros take place. Choosing to display the iconic Henri Delaunay Cup was a smart move as well. Even those not familiar with the cup can see the logo’s connection to a sport competition. At the same time, the designers implemented historic art movements, which further represented France. If you look even closer, we can also identify the corner of a football field. All these little details make the logo a great representation of France.

What can we learn from it?

Just like the logo of a sport event aims to represent the hosting country, a brand logo represents the company and packaging represents a product. So, there’s a lot we can learn from sport events in terms of branding and packaging design. But the most important point we can learn is to think outside the box. Just like a country, a company can be quite complex. If you want to get to the bottom of a company’s identity, you might have to be creative and take a different route once in a while. Each company has a history and values they represent. But what makes them really unique? There might be more to discover.

Once you’ve discovered your company’s or brand’s identity , make sure your logo represents it. Although details are fine to emphasise certain parts, keep your logo as simple as possible. Consumers need to literally see your identity at first glance – or there might not be a second one. We know it is not easy to create a logo, but don’t forget your brand is your most important asset and the logo is your figurehead. You can transfer these suggestions to packaging as well. What makes your product stand out from others? How is it unique? With the answers to these questions, you will be able to produce individual creative packaging designs, representing your products in the best way possible.

Of course, branding doesn’t end with the logo. There is so much more to keep in mind. Digital Creative Packaging will gladly advise you on how to improve your branding in order to best represent your brand and company. Get in touch with us today to talk to our experts!

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