Club YLA — Viva Yvonne – rebranding the women’s soccer team at Club Brugge
As part of a larger branding exercise for Club Brugge, one of Belgium’s top football clubs, Studio Dumbar created the brand identity for CLUB YLA – the newly renamed women’s team. Brand architect Ludovic Beun defined the relationship between Club Brugge and its various teams. He devised the YLA name in homage to legendary super fan Yvonne Lahousse, owner of a local bar and a much-loved figure in the club’s history. Her energy and legacy provided the driving force behind the new brand.
Strategy
Our ability to seamlessly introduce lifestyle elements to a brand was one of the main reasons for winning the Club Brugge pitch. For CLUB YLA, we aimed to create a lifestyle brand with a bold, contemporary attitude. While the name celebrates the heritage of the Club, the brand had to feel fresh – striking a chord with players and fans alike, whilst building a strong brand online, in motion, and on social media.
Design
With its bold black-and-white colour palette, angular type and striking photography, the CLUB YLA brand evokes the spirit of Yvonne Lahousse. Working with brand architect Ludovic Beun, stylist Kate Housh and photographer Stig de Block, we defined a look and feel with a fashion/lifestyle edge. Authenticity is achieved by using real YLA players for all photo shoots and videos. Motion graphics are characterised by snappy transitions, strong imagery and bold typography. Applied to everything from print and digital to clothing and merchandise, the overall effect is simple, distinctive, and powerful.
Results
A quick glance at ‘before and after’ posts on the CLUB YLA Instagram reveals the effectiveness of the new branding. The clarity and consistency of the brand is stronger, slicker and more convincing, creating an aspirational brand that footballers and fans alike can take great pride in.
