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Chicago Fire release a new logo — formally ditching the ‘Fire Crown’ badge — after the redesigned crest leaks on social media

jeremy mikula, chicago tribune
·2 min read

The Chicago Fire released a new crest Friday evening — earlier than initially planned — that ditches the “Fire Crown” logo and brings some reminders but stops short of restoring the team’s original badge.

The new, circular crest features a six-pointed star in the center of an angular “C” — both in red — that is reminiscent of the “C” in the club’s first badge. Those two items are surrounded by what team marketing called a “modernized” Florian cross in the same shade of blue found in the Chicago flag. The design is outlined in a dark blue circle.

The Florian cross and red “C” were the key iconography on the Fire’s crest through the 2019 season.

The Fire also announced they will return to red as their primary jersey color starting in 2024.

“As much as this project was about the creation of a new crest for the Chicago Fire, it was also about renewing a spirit of cooperation and collaboration with our fans,” team owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto said in a statement. “We made a commitment in January to welcome anyone who wanted to lend their voice to this project, and the result is a crest that was fully and completely inspired by what we heard from our fans and supporters. We’re hopeful all will wear the new crest with pride and feel it represents not only this storied club but also the great city of Chicago.”

The release of the crest dubbed the “Fire Crown” by team marketing in 2019 resulted in at times ruthless mockery from fans and fellow Major League Soccer clubs alike. Earlier this year, Mansueto announced the Fire were pulling the crest for the 2022 MLS season and hired noted soccer designer Matthew Wolff.

Wolff came up with the concept after the Fire collected feedback from fans on what they wanted to see in the new design.

“This was the most unique branding project I’ve ever been a part of,” Wolff said in a statement. “Hearing from fans — both new and old — while I was designing was so inspiring. I hope we’ve created something that can represent this historic club and city for generations to come.”

The Fire pushed forward the release of the crest after images of it leaked earlier Friday on Twitter.