Barcelona Unveils Redesigned Crest, Explains New Design

Barcelona have announced plans for a redesigned crest, which will come into effect starting next season provided it passes for approval from a group of delegates in October. 

The Blaugrana announced their new design on Thursday via the club's official website, and this would mark the first time since 2002 that the club's crest has been changed:

The most noticeable change for the new design has seen the "FCB," which stands for "Futbol Club Barcelona," removed in favour of a sleeker design free of lettering.

The "FCB" acronym—or "CFB," as it was ordered for a time—has been present on Barca's badge in one iteration or another since the 1910s.

But the club's announcement suggested the change has been made to embrace a new digital football environment:

"This evolution stays faithful to the historical elements of the crest: the city, Barcelona; the country, Catalonia; the club, the 'blaugrana' colours; and the ball. But the new design now has greater reproduction capacity, especially in the increasingly more important world of digital media. The most striking changes are an increase in the balance and impact of the team colours, the greater presence of a central and iconic element of the Barça style of play, namely the ball, the homogenisation of the forms and colours, and the disappearance of the FCB acronym."

The Catalan giants follow Juventus' example in simplifying their badge, and sportswriter Roy Nemer pointed out the importance of branding in making these decisions:

Juventus adopted a simple "J" and abandoned their old design, which was more intricate and featured two stars to commemorate their two European Cup wins.

Barcelona summarised the main positives of their fresh design in further detail:

It's clear branding and marketing are the main motivations behind Barca's choice; their statement ended by noting the brighter colours and "homogenous" look will guarantee "more faithful reproduction in all media."

Sixteen years on from their last crest change, and business remains a top priority for Barca as they become the latest club to modify their badge in a bid to keep up with the modernization of football.