The National Football League’s Los Angeles Rams have unveiled a new brand identity, which is timed to coincide with the team’s scheduled move to the $5bn SoFi Stadium for the start of the 2020 season.
The new logos – there are four in total – include the franchise’s iconic horns, which have been a part of the Rams’ identity since 1941. The logo set was developed through a collaboration between the team’s in-house design team, the NFL, and Nike.
The team’s colors have changed from navy blue, light gold, and white to a new combination of what the franchise is calling Rams Royal (blue) and Sol (yellow), which are designed to “blend historic looks with added vibrancy.” The team’s primary colors were royal blue and gold for most of their first stint in LA (1946-1994).
New uniforms and helmets will be unveiled later this spring, when new merchandise will go on sale.
The reimagined look is the culmination of a rebranding effort that has taken place since 2016, when the Rams returned to Southern California from St. Louis, Missouri.
“The most exciting part of this for me, and I hope for Rams fans, is it blends the best of our pasts with what we believe is the best of our future,” Kevin Demoff, the Rams chief operating officer, told ESPN. “I’m sure it will be a surprise, it will be change, but lots of things are and I think it’s a change that our fans will come to know and love over time.”
The new look will tie in with a new home for the Rams, who have played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the past four years, but will move into a state-of-the-art arena later this year.
Digital personal finance company Social Finance (SoFi) has secured a 20-year naming rights deal to the new stadium, worth a reported $400m, while American Airlines landed the naming rights to the plaza next to the stadium. As part of a wide-ranging deal with PepsiCo, Pepsi and Frito-Lay will become the exclusive soft drink and salty snacks partners of the venue.
SoFi Stadium has already been pencilled in to stage the NFL’s showpiece Super Bowl game in 2022, the College Football National Championship game in 2023, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2028 Olympic Games. It is also likely to be a venue for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
A new college football bowl game will be played at the venue. The newly created LA Bowl will begin in December 2020, featuring the top selection from the Mountain West Conference and the No. 5 selection from the Pac-12 Conference.
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