All UEFA EURO logos from 1960 to 2020 A not always successful visual identity history
A logo must be more than just a mark to identify the company, the brand or in this case a tournament. It must synthesise values, be recognisable and, above all, keep up with contemporary aesthetics. Looking at the EURO 2020 logo, some may be puzzled as to its effectiveness and beauty. It is a logo that follows somewhat dated rules and canons: it is crowded, full of colours and with different lettering. If you look at the latest rebranding cases both in the world of football (Juventus) and in other sectors - such as fashion and car manufacturers - a common trend emerges: simplification of design, absence of colours and the proverbial abuse of the Helvetica font. UEFA has never excelled in graphic taste in the last twenty years, although the logos of international competitions have entered the design books, just think of USA94, Ciao, the mascot of ITALIA 90. The history of the logos of the EURO is in fact very varied in terms of design, with a downward trajectory: if we want to trace its evolution, we could read it as a story divided into four different acts, which began back in 1960 from an idea of Henri Delaunay.
The origins (1960 - 1992)
Although many teams are updating their visual identity by simplifying their logos and coats of arms, UEFA and its graphics department have not followed the general trend. Since the 2016 French edition, won by Portugal, the star of the logo has been the cup on display, decorated with a colour palette supposedly reminiscent of the French flag with the addition of curious Paint-style asterisks and a curved line supposedly reminiscent of a pitch line. Only a year later Juventus presented its rebranding, and it is quite clear how aesthetically distant these two logos are. For the current edition, the first in history played in 13 different cities, UEFA's approach is still rather flat, as evidenced by the stylised fans in different colour palettes that form the background of the cup. The centrepiece of the new visual identity coming from the Nyon offices could only be a bridge, ideally connecting all the cities involved. Although the new font was unveiled a few weeks ago, belonging to the "san serif" family, the choice still falls to the one used by EURO2012. A choice that departs from today's aesthetics, where the focus is more on simplicity, while UEFA seems to be going the other way.
