Today heralds the return of dressage competition in the UK, with the belated start of our summer season, but it also marks the beginning of a new era for British Dressage with the introduction of a new logo and brand identity.
In 1998, British Dressage was launched with its now familiar logo featuring a rider sporting a top hat and horse silhouette set amongst the letters ‘B’ and ‘D’ in blue and red, which has served the organisation well over the last 22 years. However, after two decades of evolution, progression and modernisation, the time is now right for a change.
It is therefore with much excitement on this landmark day that we reveal our new look to take the sport forward as we start a new chapter:
This vibrant logo encompasses the artistry of dressage, with the horse and rider in perfect harmony. The sense of movement embodies the poise and grace of a dressage partnership, while celebrating the bond that brings people and horses together.
This contemporary design projects a more modern and accessible image that is befitting a professional sport National Governing Body, as part of the broader Olympic and Paralympic family that represents Team GB. We’ve retained the traditional feel of the blue and red colours that feature in the Union flag to reflect our heritage, while bringing the overall look and feel firmly into the 21st century.
Most importantly, we want the new brand identity to convey the accessibility and inclusivity of our sport, where the rider could be anyone, regardless of gender, age, disability or race. This will be a central theme of our new strategy, due to be launched next month, which will take the sport on the next phase of its journey from Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024.
Work on the re-brand project was completed pre-COVID in the first quarter of 2019, ready for launch at the Winter Championships in April 2020, but we were forced to shelve these plans when the pandemic struck. However, with society now finally beginning to open back up and a sense of renewed optimism returning, we felt it was the perfect opportunity to have a new look to match this fresh start.
Apart from some professional expertise to develop the initial stylistic templates for the different logo variations, most of the design work has been completed in house to keep costs to a minimum. No expensive agencies or consultants have been involved, this has been a combined effort between our marketing team and designers to refresh BD’s identity.
All of our marketing and promotional material was due for renewal post-COVID regardless, so no additional investment has been required. With the regional restructure implemented from today onwards and a new clothing and merchandise range due to be launched in early summer, it was ideal timing to reinvigorate the BD brand.
Jason Brautigam, CEO of British Dressage commented; “Our new identity captures all that makes dressage special, but equally presents a fresh and modern image that reflects the positive evolution the sport has enjoyed over the last two decades. We are proud of our sport’s values, which form the essence of our brand; respect, inclusivity, welfare, teamwork and integrity – and we believe this new logo encapsulates them all perfectly. It provides us with the perfect platform to launch our new strategy next month, as we mark the start of the next phase in the sport’s development post-COVID.
“All our digital collateral will feature the new identity from today, while we’ll be rolling it out in physical form, in terms of our print, clothing, event signage and other commercial initiatives over coming months. As the sport finally gets back underway, we look forward to sharing a number of exciting projects that are due for release throughout 2021, as we aim to build back stronger and better.”
