Overview

Self-initiated concept

Bath City FC has adopted several different identities throughout its history, with each badge introducing new visual references while moving further away from a cohesive connection to the city itself. This concept explores how the club's identity could evolve by bringing together the strongest elements from its past into a single, modern crest rooted in Bath's history.

The Challenge

The club's identity has changed significantly over the decades, from the original civic crest to Roman-inspired shields and the current simplified badge. While each version introduced recognisable features, the relationship between the badge and the city's heritage had become less defined.

The challenge was to create an identity that felt unmistakably Bath while remaining practical across today's digital and physical touchpoints.

My Approach

I began by researching the evolution of Bath City FC's badges alongside the history of Bath itself.

Rather than creating an entirely new identity, the goal was to identify which elements carried genuine historical significance and reinterpret them for a contemporary audience.

This involved analysing:

Historic Bath City FC badges

The City of Bath coat of arms

Roman and medieval symbolism

Architectural references from the Roman Baths

Typography inspired by classical Roman inscriptions

The Solution

The redesigned crest combines references from multiple eras of the club's history into a single, cohesive identity.

Key design decisions included:

Restoring the detailed red city wall from earlier club identities.

Replacing the medieval sword with a Roman gladius to better reflect Bath's Roman heritage.

Redesigning the vertical linework as architectural columns inspired by the Roman Baths.

Introducing a refined shield structure for improved balance and scalability.

Developing typography influenced by classical Roman letterforms.

The result is a crest that feels more authentic to Bath while remaining flexible across kits, merchandise, social media and digital platforms.

Outcome

Although this is an independent concept rather than commissioned work, the project demonstrates how heritage research can inform modern identity design.

It explores how thoughtful design can strengthen the connection between a football club and the place it represents, while creating a visual identity that feels both timeless and practical.

Services

Brand Identity

Logo Design

Heritage Research

Visual Systems

Typography

Sports Branding

Tools

Figma

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Project Type

Personal Concept (Self-initiated)