Man City logo: The history and evolution

Club badges meaning and history

1880-1894

The very first logo in the first period of Manchester City was the one that named out their first club name as St. Mark's (West Gorton). It was the round version with the two main colors being black and white. With this design, we can see the contrast between two colors from the cross symbol in the middle, as well as the numbers and letters on the frame. This first emblem seems to be respectively simple in both colors and details, that only showed the location and date mark of the club.  

1926

The new official badge appeared on the arms of Man City players came out in the FA Cup final in 1926. This design was relatively complex with different features. There was the main shield with a ship and three yellow lines to decorate, which is surrounded by a white deer on the left and a golden lion on the right. A knight helmet and the globe are placed on the top in pale blue and pink hues. This logo existed for the longest period and was changed starting from the 1960s.

The 1960s

This version kept a similar shield in the middle of the heraldic logo. Around is the light blue background with the club’s name around its border. The shield design was the same with a ship and on the sea and three yellow lines below. The sea vessel called up to the long trading period in the history of the city.

1970-1972

There was not any huge difference in the badge of Man City between this stage and the previous counterpart. All the elements were kept the same: from the shield and its decorative details inside (the sea and vessel) to the border, letter, and base color. The only difference was the graphic design and the reduction in the tone of colors.

1972-1976

Basically, the emblem design in this period was similar to the last versions, with a round base, border, inscription, and center shield. However, instead of three diagonal lines in the shield, there was a red rose. The name of the club was also bolder and larger in size. In general, this version looked more elegant. 

1796-1981

In this stage, the Man City logo used the old version in 1926. This badge was used for five years on the city uniform.

1981-1997

Again, the logo of Man City in this period came back to the 1972-1976 version. The slight difference was the colors in the interior round were all darker. 

1997-2016

The designers for Man City’s logo in this stage changed the general structure of the badge. It wasn’t a round logo, but a freestyle design instead. The golden eagle, which was an old symbol of the city was placed in the center. It embraced the shield which had the same design as always (the ship, sea, and three lines to represent Medlock, Irk, and Irwell rivers). Simultaneously, the abbreviated club name stood in the middle of the shield (as M.C.F.C). There were three decorative stars with the same color as the eagle sitting at the top of the badge without any hidden meaning. 

2016- present

This is a special period that allowed Man City’s fans to join the creation of their logo. They had the right to choose colors, shapes, and the components of the badge themselves. The resulting logo resembled the one in the 1981-1997 period.

Several minor differences were three light blue lines behind the rose and under the sea vessel. There was also the year that the club got this name, which was divided into two parts “18” and “94” on two sides of the emblem.

2021-2022 logo reveals

According to some rumors, a new design for the Man City logo has been revealed. There might be the combination of the recent badge with the logo of Puma, separated by a vertical line.

A few things about Man City

In this section, let’s learn some basic knowledge about this prestigious club to understand more about how they were created and developed. 

When was Man City founded?

Man City, or actually Manchester City Football Club, is a well-known football club based in the same city of England, hence the club name. It was founded in 1880 under another name St. Mark's (West Gorton), which was one of the poorest districts with many social crimes in Manchester, usually called West Gorton. 

The club then moved to the neighboring region Ardwick, and also changed its name to Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887. Since 1894, the team has got its name as Manchester City until now. 

League history

1892–1899 Division 2

1899–1902 Division 1

1902–1903 Division 2

1903–1909 Division 1

1909–1910 Division 2

1910–1926 Division 1

1926–1928 Division 2

1928–1938 Division 1

1938–1947 Division 2

1947–1950 Division 1

1950–1951 Division 2 

1951–1963 Division 1 

1963–1966 Division 2 

1966–1983 Division 1 

1983–1985 Division 2 

1985–1987 Division 1

1987–1989 Division 2

1989–1992 Division 1

1992–1996 Premier League

1996–1998 Division 1

1998–1999 Division 2

1999–2000 Division 1

2000–2001 Premier League

2001–2002 Division 1

2002– Premier League

During the development of Man City, they have succeeded on plenty of grounds from domestic, conventional, to international leagues. They were all named on different competitions, such as First Division, Second Division, European Cup Winners’ Cup, Premier League, qualified for the Champions League, Europa League, and many other lower divisions. 

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C.#Club_badge_and_colours