Bristol Rovers will continue the consultation process of redesigning the club’s badge despite increasing opposition from fans on social media in the wake of the latest survey released this week.
Having announced their desire to alter the badge in early September, Rovers CEO Tom Gorringe revealed last month in his programme notes prior to the Lincoln City fixture that 52 per cent of Gasheads initially polled had stated they were open to the idea of changing the crest, with the club wanting to bring a more modern approach to the design and the overall branding.
A second survey was e-mailed to fans this week containing concepts of new shapes, fonts and designs that could be incorporated into the design and asking for supporters for their preferences, however the plans have been met with considerable anger and amusement.
Of chief concern appears to be the theme of the badge with three options presented in light of responses to the first questionnaire: a skull with crossed swords, isolated crossed swords and a graphical interpretation of a pirate. But Gasheads have taken to Twitter to voice their opposition and also bewilderment. The pirate has been compared to Adam Ant, the former logo of NFL side the New England Patriots and Poldark.
As stated, these are not the final designs but merely to try and gauge the sort of images fans would want in the future, but the crux of the issue appears to lie in the fact that while there may be 52 per cent who are open to change, the 48 per cent who aren’t, are very much vocal in their opposition to the idea.
The club celebrates its 140th anniversary next year, with the present design of a pirate’s silhouette standing on a football against a blue and white backdrop in use for the last 25 years. It is unique in its design but from a branding perspective makes for a difficult logo to replicate. Unlike, say, the blue and white quarters crest of the 1990s.
In the survey released this week, Rovers note that, "many like the idea of an increased sense of ‘aggression’ within the imagery, which it was felt our current pirate lacks. Furthermore, it was noted by many that the crest is not ‘symmetrical’ meaning it sometimes looks off centre or out of place."
It is also stated that 57 per cent of respondents were open to seeing a new shape, 66 per cent were open to seeing a new font and 68 per cent of respondents would be open to seeing new imagery – with popular answers being “Crossed swords”, “Skull Imagery” and “Updated Pirate”.
Rovers insist they will work with supporters throughout the process, maintaining transparency, and Gorringe, on September 17, declared that: “We will not be looking to change to any form of 'modern' template crest and any options considered would have to be unique and representative of the club and its history, if it is decided collectively that was the best way to go."
Bristol Live understands that while very much aware of the opposition, the next step of the consultation process is the establishment of focus groups within the fanbase to discuss the proposals.
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