The national judo federation of France – French. “Fédération Française de Judo” – has recently been presented with a new logo. The logo of the national teams has also been redesigned. The artist – and former judoka – Yves Klein received a late honor.
With almost 550,000 members, the national judo association is the third largest sports association in France (for comparison: 134,392 members are organized in the German Judo Association). A few weeks before the start of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the French federation is not only changing its own logo, but also that of the national teams. The associated new visual identity ensures significantly more flexibility in use and embodies the art of movement, as it is called in the context of the presentation.
When choosing the new corporate color, the association decided on the work of the French artist Yves Klein get inspired. The color that bears his name, “International Klein Blue” – the French even had the mixture of colors protected by trademark law – plays a central role in the artist’s work. Klein wasn’t just an artist, he was also a passionate judoka. However, the judo titles he had acquired in Japan were not recognized by the French judo association at the time. Now that the association is using the color he has created as a corporate color, he is receiving a late honor and recognition.
According to the association, the new visual appearance was created after advice and consultation with more than 12,000 members, associations and employees. The involvement of so many people is an expression of a deep connection – and this connection is also expressed in the new visual appearance. From now on, the association will appear under the name “France Judo”. “We are French judo”, is the new guiding principle.
Not only the color scheme, but also the shape of the logo has been simplified. The movement of two judoka is also shown in the now single-colored blue figurative mark, which consists of just two bold lines. However, while the previous signet, similar to a pictogram, has a descriptive / explanatory character, the now completely abstract sign leaves the level of the figurative. Instead of two fighters, the new logo symbolizes a movement typical of the sport of judo.
The rebranding took place in cooperation with the agency 4uatre (Paris).
comment
It’s really exciting to see how I think that the French sports association is so clearly separating itself from the figurative with its new logo. Sports associations are really not known for following a progressive line with their appearance. In the world of sports, figurative representations of athletes (DTTB, DHB) as well as detailed images of balls (DBB, DBV), rackets and other sports equipment are extremely widespread. The mostly conventional, discouraged and unimaginative visual identities that predominate in this environment are the result of rigid association structures and traditional ideas. And the struggle for compromises and the lowest common denominator is also reflected in a powerless and empty logo.
In the background, the fact that a logo, unlike a pictogram, does not have to describe and explain, usually takes a back seat. Neither the Nike Swoosh, nor the apple or the shell (pecten) explain the respective brands and companies they represent. Since logos only rarely appear on their own (example: stadium gangs), we know, from the respective context or because we have learned it, that the apple is Apple’s trademark and that this company makes money with the sale of smartphones and Computer deserves. The meaning of a logo can often also be understood from the word mark, in which, as in this case, it is explicitly explained who the sender is. This is another reason why no further explanation is required within the figurative mark.
In this case, it is more about converting the attitude and the self-image of the association with regard to the sport of judo into a visual equivalent – into a visual identity that does not only consist of a logo, but of course also in the choice of colors, the typography, the imagery and other design features articulated. The French judo federation has left the beaten track described at the beginning in order to instead go towards the expression of inner attitude. The result is concise, independent and free from clichéd design.
Two arches capture the tension, strength and movement that is characteristic of this martial art very well. When it comes to the choice of color, one can only say: à la bonne heure. The shade International Klein Blue fits perfectly. The derivation and the reference to Yves Klein illustrate the changed inner attitude and is an expression of the fact that the association is able to look beyond the area of the judo mat (Japanese tatami).
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