Icelandic football has enjoyed a resurgence over the past few years, and now it’s been accompanied by a rebrand inspired by the country’s heritage.
If you’ve never rooted for Iceland, prepare for that to change. Yesterday, KSI introduced a new identity for the two national teams, designed by Iceland-based design studio Brandenburg. The identity includes a new logo, visual assets for kits and merchandise as well as a bespoke typeface. They also released an incredible hype video for its new national team crest on Wednesday that will leave you asking when the full feature film is released.
Goalkeeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson had a hand in making the clip which detailed the inspiration behind the new design in dramatic fashion, while also evoking the passion and intensity of the proud island nation. The four quadrants of the crest are made up of the bull, the eagle, the dragon and the giant, which are said to be ‘symbols of the unfaltering solidarity and harmony of a nation that never recoils against the storm’.
The inspiration for the rebrand comes form Iceland’s history. An introductory video highlights the Iceland’s dramatic natural landscape and brings to life four guardians of the country: bull, eagle, dragon and giant. These are no ordinary creatures, however. Instead they take on mythic proportions. The eagle, for example, has a wingspan that fills “every valley from mountain to mountain”.
These folkloric creatures – “symbols of the unfaltering solidarity and harmony of a nation that never recoils against the storm” – take up a central part of the football identity. The video links their strength to the football teams’ prowess.
The guardian spirits logo will feature on the national team’s kits at the end of August 2020. In images it appears on a range of merchandise from caps, jackets, bags, PlayStation controllers and water bottles.
