- The Suns have opted for a major ‘brand renewal’ for 2025
- The new logo has several hidden meanings
The new Gold Coast Suns logo has been received like a lead balloon by fans just days after the club’s CEO said he would be “gutted” if it ended up being the final design.
When the AFL accidentally leaked the new look online earlier this week, fans immediately began criticizing it, with team boss Mark Evans joining in their dismay.
“I can’t confirm if that is the logo,” he said.
‘If that was the logo, I’d be gutted, but there have been a few versions out there. Come Friday and we’ll reveal it here.
The final design, which is almost identical to the version of the leak that Evans reacted to, was unveiled on Thursday night.
The Suns explained that the logo is intended to represent “the blazing Gold Coast sun rising on the horizon”, with a football in the center of the emblem and a subtle G and C hidden within “as a nod to our history and logo original’.
Gold Coast star Daniel Rioli is pictured modeling the club’s new look on Friday.
Suns CEO Mark Evans (pictured) previously said he would feel “gutted” if a leaked version of the redesign turned out to be real, and that’s exactly what happened.
Pictured: The logo when it was accidentally leaked by the AFL earlier this week.
What followed was a huge outpouring of football fans who were overwhelmingly against the bold new look.
Many thought the design was weak and difficult to see because it is only represented in shades of red on the team’s home strip, while the previous version stood out more because it mixed red with yellow.
“More effort was put into these videos than the actual design of the logo and guernsey,” one fan wrote, referring to promotional images of the Gold Coast stars sporting the new look.
‘This is shameful. “People thought the holding sweater was too boring and now you have one that just looks red most of the time,” another commented.
‘The jumpers look blank. I can’t even see the logo. “What a disaster!” added a third.
‘Rotten. The most effective professional sports team logos, in principle, reveal three things: who they are, where they are from, and what they do. This logo fails spectacularly on all three. It looks like a knockoff of a retro 70’s TV network. What consulting company approved this? another fan wrote.
“I didn’t think it was possible to create a worse logo than the current one. In fact, I’m impressed with how they managed to pull it off,” commented a fifth.
Once the logo was officially released, Evans changed his mind.
Gold Coast star Mac Andrew is pictured playing in the club’s previous kit this season.
Many football fans agreed with this commentator who lashed out at X’s new look.
“After 14 years with the same brand, we knew it was time to update our look to better represent how we have evolved and matured as a football club,” he said in a statement.
‘Our new logo is modern, bold and innovative, with layers of context that speak to our history and purpose.
“We are excited to show the world our new brand and tomorrow we will reveal our new guernsey and color palette, marking the beginning of our new era.”
The reaction to the Suns’ new look comes after fans also criticized the Adelaide Crows when they launched a new logo on November 7.
“It’s like going from Windows 10 to Windows 98,” one fan posted on X.
‘Was this part of an elementary school contest?’ answered another.
“Congratulations to whoever the 10 year old created this,” said a third.
The club said it is excited about the new look, saying in a press release that the designers were giving “a nod to the club’s heritage” with the original raven, but adding that the claws, beak, eye and wing sharp edges provided a “modern look”.