The Premier League, which is the top tier of men’s English soccer, and its graphics licensee, the design firm Avery Dennison, today announced a series of design changes that will be rolled out for the 2023-24 season.
The most significant change is the introduction of a new number font. The new numerals are 20 milimeters higher (about three-quarters of an inch) and have more open negative space, both of which are intended to make the players’ numbers more identifiable from a distance. The larger size will also allow the lion’s head logo at the base of each numeral to be larger, which was a priority for the league.
Here’s a comparison of the old font (red outline) and the new one (solid black):
The new number font is being paired with a new NOB font, which is more compressed and space-efficient than its predecessor and should therefore be more suitable for long, hyphenated surnames. Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
In addition to the typography changes, the league will be changing its sleeve graphic to a stand-alone version of the lion’s head. Here’s a comparison:
The 2022-23 champion will wear a gold version of the new sleeve graphic.
Avery Dennison produced a promotional video about the new fonts. There are moments when it gets to be a bit much, but it does provide some really good insights into the design and production processes, so I’d say it’s worth watching:
The Premier League’s 2023-24 season will begin on Aug. 12.
I love that Esso actually is S.O for Standard Oil… I never realized that! Learn something new everyday. Though, I always thought Standard Oil was replaced by Amoco, which then was replaced by BP.
Standard Oil was broken up into smaller companies –
Standard Oil of NJ became Esso then ExxonMobil
Standard Oil Company of New York – Mobil
Standard Oil Ohio – SOHIO
and so on. Of course, Exxon bought Mobil in 1999, putting two the biggest back together
We had Boron stations around us, which were also a part of that I believe.
Following the federally mandated break-up of consolidated Standard Oil beginning in 1911, Standard Oil of New Jersey became Esso and Standard Oil of New York became Socony — they later merged to become Exxon. Standard Oil of Ohio became SOHIO, Standard Oil of Indiana became AMOCO, and Standard Oil of California became Chevron
aaaah… This explains where I got Standard Oil becoming Amoco… Because I’m from Chicago
Interestingly, there are a handful of Chevron locations that still use the Standard name but the Chevron logo, font, and colors. There is one in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. From an article I found, there is apparently one Standard station in each state where Chevron does business in order to keep the legal rights to the name.
Golden age of company mascots there!
I was surprised to see a Sinclair gas station in Mount Vernon the other day. Always loved the brontosaurus.
Several stations in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area, have maintained the dinosaur, though they no longer sell Sinclair-branded gas. link
“At some point Esso decided to give Happy a lady friend, although I don’t think she had a name”
– He was oil and she was water, so things didn’t work out.
For those who don’t watch the Premier League (or maybe if you do but this has never occured to you), it has a lot of hyphenated surnames, so I’m interested that they addressed that directly in the NOB font and also in how it might look.
Good thing Cameron Borthwick-Jackson plays in League One now!
Wow; those Premier League numerals hearken back to the game in the 1970s except for the 9s and 6s.
Like the new Premier League font (even if it is a few years ahead of schedule (previous league mandated fonts ran from 1997-2007 & 2007-2016)) the sleeve badge is a major downgrade though, looks cheap without the roundal surrounding it
the new Premier League font is giving me new Utah Jazz uniform energy.
I do have to say that I welcome the change and the numbers look better than the current iteration. I miss having an outline and worry if after awhile they’ll become pretty boring.
I’ve never understood why the Premier League has always insisted on having a uniform NOB and number font for all clubs. To me it stifles creativity and individual club identity. And I really don’t understand why Serie A and La Liga, after years of letting clubs do their own thing font-wise, just recently adopted a standardized font.
In regards to the sleeve patch, I’m curious to see what they’ll do for the defending champions. Even before the standardized font, the PL has always denoted defending champions with a gold PL patch. In recent years this has meant a gold roundel with the purple lion’s head inside — wonder what they’ll do now. Gold lion’s head?
Mostly its league branding, but mandated fonts usually come in after individual teams use really bad choices, like the Premier League a year after Blackburn used this (link) or La Liga shortly after this abomination from Villarreal (link)
I thought the Tampa Bay alarm clock was the worst numbers in sports history, but thank you for enlightening me on something worse. How in the world did anyone think that Villarreal thing was a good idea?
I will say the Jaguars 1997 preseason numbers are the worst in sports. Too condensed, too illegible.
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The text mentions the champions will wear a gold version of the new sleeve lion. This would be consistent with what they do now, as the champion’s badge is currently all gold with a gold lion inside a gold roundel.
I really like the new sleeve lion. The bigger and bolder lion stands out well on the jersey.
I always find it a little weird as an American when the PL teams play in other competitions and change their number fonts to what they would use if the PL didn’t make them use their standard in PL matches. I always assume wrongly that the team look should be consistent whenever they play, because American sports do it that way. The non-PL looks seem to be a way the clubs maintain a sense of brand uniqueness, but only some of the time, so I don’t know how effective it ends up being.
I really like that Premier League number font, though as a fan of two teams (the Cubs and Bears) that have been using their own number fonts for decades, I’m against the idea of a league forcing all teams to use the same one.
Looks like an improvement to me. Maybe Everton will even get a chance to wear it.
The documentary about the production of the new number font is great and I really appreciated the details, including the simulated game where two number and name fonts were used for the Premier League commentators to offer their feedback on legibility.
Peter Drury served as the test commentator for the current set; he called a few simulated games at Watford’s Vicarage Road stadium to test legibility. Nice to have several sets of eyes provide the testing this time.
I love that Esso can! My parent’s next door neighbor has a few old classic cars (including his first, a late 50s early 60s Chavelle in perfect condition), but also has a bunch of classic stuff in his garage. He actually has an old Esso barrel that he uses as a trash can.
Wow, that black and yellow jersey looks too much like the new Jazz jerseys. And as a Jazz fan that still hates the new look, I can’t say that’s a good thing.
I really like it. But I also don’t like it because, I’ve been buying each season’s Chelsea shirt (sometimes 2) since the mid-00s and I thought, this season is my last. I’m 37 now, kind of have a dad bod, can’t wear the soccer shirts as well as I used too. I stopped getting the player’s cut like 5 years ago and thought, 2022-23 would be my last in total. But I think I want one again because this new font and esp the sleeve logo look so clean.
In every state in which Chevron operates, it has one gas station that carries the Standard name and branding so it can keep the Standard intellectual property in use and protected. The one in Las Vegas at W Tropicana Ave and S Dean Martin Dr is linked below.
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The only thing I know about the Premier League is what I see on Ted Lasso. But who thought putting the league logo IN the number was a good idea???
But they’ve had the logo in the numbers for the last 25 years link
Prior to the Premier League going to a standardized number font in 1996-97, it was common, although not universal, for the kit maker to put its logo inside the number for a couple seasons prior to then.
I’ve always hated that logo inside the numbers. They go on about legibility and a clean look, then they put this big distraction right inside the digits. The league already has its logo on the sleeves and who knows how many more places. Let the numbers remain unmolested.
It seems like AFC Richmond didn’t get the memo on the fonts, if Season 3 of Ted Lasso is any indication. (Heh.)
The new numerals…
…are intended to make the players’ numbers more identifiable from a distance.
What a refreshing common sense improvement!
Pay attention, American sports leagues.
Paul,
Digging all the cans! Here’s a link to an old Esso Canada hockey commercial, c. 1972. The spot was filmed at Dixie Arena Gardens in Mississauga, Ontario…I grew up playing at this rink and went to school and/or played hockey with most of the kids on the Esso-sponsored team. Check out the old helmets and mouthguards!
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Cheers,
DJ Doc
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Called “Mrs. Drop” in some European advertisements, the little lady didn’t really have a name here in the US.
Seems to me that the “3” looks larger than the “2”. I don’t like that.
Agree with Oscar. I dislike the number typeface. I am sure it’s an optical illusion, but there seems to be a lack of uniformity in the number design. The loop of the 2 and the 3 seem to be different sizes, as do the angles at the bottom of the 2 and top of the 3. They also remind me — not in a good way — of the Rams’ garbage number typeface.
Agree with Oscar. I dislike the number typeface. I am sure it’s an optical illusion, but there seems to be a lack of uniformity in the number design. The loop of the 2 and the 3 seem to be different sizes, as do the angles at the bottom of the 2 and top of the 3. They also remind me — not in a good way — of the Rams’ garbage number typeface.
Same font for every side is too corporate, too boring. Maybe that’s why they all want to redesign their kits every year.
Going from the circle-patch to the lion seems unnecessary! Hope you’re doing well, Paul!
Josh! Long time — great to hear from you!!