Both clubs now have new crests that share a hexagonal shape and pay homage to the city’s local waterways
The Dynamo today are announcing their rebranding efforts and new organizational identity for both the MLS and NWSL clubs, including the organization now being referred to as the Houston Dynamo Football Club. The MLS club will be referred to as Houston Dynamo FC, too, while the Dash will remain the Houston Dash. The moves come after a more than two-year creative and design process. “This is kind of a transitional period where we are closing the chapter on the first 15 years and opening a new chapter with a new vision for the club,” said Dynamo President of Business Operations John Walker to THE DAILY. That long-term vision includes being a “globally-respected brand and to make Houston the soccer capital of the United States,” he said. Walker added that with the new publicly-stated vision and rebrand, there is some new energy and excitement injected into the organization in the lead-up to the '21 season. It will provide “a platform to tell our new story” to prospective season-ticket holders, potential sponsors, fans and the broader Houston community. Dynamo Controlling Owner Gabriel Brener said, “I see it more as modernizing the image and the organization.”
NEW LOGO FOR BOTH TEAMS: As part of the new identity, both teams have new crests that share a hexagonal shape and pay homage to the city’s local waterways. Additionally, the six-sided design also represents '06, when the Dynamo arrived in Houston from San Jose and played their inaugural season. The word “Houston” will also be more prominently displayed on the Dynamo and Dash crest. “We don’t want to be the soccer teams that play in Houston. We want to be Houston’s teams,” Dynamo VP/Marketing & Communications Zac Emmons said earlier this month in a presentation to the Dash outlining the new identity. “We wanted to visually represent that and make sure that when we take the field and put the crest on, whether you’re a player, staff member or fan, that Houston is the first thing that you see.” In the presentation, Emmons said the team took some inspiration from Tigres UANL of LigaMX in how the Mexican soccer club co-branded its men’s and women’s teams side-by-side. That has manifested itself, in part, in the Houston organization’s “Hold It Down” campaign, which debuted earlier in '20 and tied both teams together. Emmons said the goal is for Dynamo and Dash fans to be supporters of all teams and players within the portfolio, not just one.
SILVER ADDED TO COLOR SCHEME: The organization will continue to have Electric Orange, as the club refers to it, as its primary color but has added Championship Silver to its palette to highlight the Dynamo and Dash titles, including most recently the '20 NWSL Challenge Cup. Space City Blue will also remain part of the Dash’s logo. With the rebrand announcement, local rapper Trae tha Truth will play his new single, “Hold It Down,” tonight at 8:00pm ET on HoldItDownFC.com. Brener, Walker, Emmons and CMO Katie Scallan, as well as the club’s creative staff, all participated in the rebranding efforts. The organization also worked with 9thWonder, a Houston-based marketing and creative agency, on the new identity.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: The Houston Chronicle's Glynn Hill notes the MLS club considered maintaining its original name, while also considering "alternate names like Dynamo SC after discussing the change with fans, advertisers and other MLS clubs."
