A fresh face for French football
LFP Media and Leroy Tremblot created cutting-edge identities inspired by video games for France’s top two football leagues
France is home to some of the world’s best footballing talent, yet its most prominent leagues – Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 – are consistently ranked below European leagues in neighbouring countries, such as those in England and Spain. Keen to change perceptions of the French top flight, the commercial arm of the French Professional Football League, LFP Media, recently partnered with Paris-based design agency Leroy Tremblot to create new branding for both leagues.
Introduced last year and formally unveiled in January, the result of this 15-month collaboration are new identities for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 that aim to revolutionise the image of French football. Working with the central idea of ‘Football. But French’, the design team at Leroy Tremblot painstakingly devised a new look and feel for the leagues that embodies what makes football unique in the country.
Big, bold and future-facing, the updated identities revolve around new logos for the respective leagues that are designed to shake up the status quo and remain adaptable in the years to come. The logos use negative space to depict the letter ‘L’ inside the number, channelling the frequently used abbreviations for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 – ‘L1’ and ‘L2’ – to give an in-the-know nod to fans of the leagues.
Versatility was key to the new identities, with Leroy Tremblot aiming to create logos that can be customised and personalised by clubs and fans alike. The clubs in particular are encouraged to incorporate their own colours into the design and take ownership over the new logo.
The wider primary colour palette for Ligue 1 is an electric blue and pink, and an aquamarine and purple for Ligue 2, with both featuring a ‘charcoal base’ that unites them under a single aesthetic.
These colours complement a graphic system, both static and dynamic, that draws inspiration from video games and provides a state-of-the-art feel.
A bespoke typeface for messaging throughout the brand and a flexible grid system bring the identities together, and help them adapt to digital platforms, stadium displays and TV graphics, marking a new chapter for the French leagues.
Feedback from a recent survey conducted by LFP Media confirmed that the updates have been appreciated by the league’s followers, with 85% of Ligue 1 fans expressing their approval of the new identities and 90% of fans responding positively to the updated TV broadcast visuals.
