Montréal Alouettes reach for new heights in brand refresh

Professional Canadian football team Montréal Alouettes has announced a new brand identity, building on the connection between city and squad to form a renewed lifestyle brand.

The Montréal Alouettes’ new logo is a bird, a plane and a fleur-de-lys at the same time. The new identity has been designed by Québec-based brand agency GRDN, and it flourishes on the bond between the team itself and the city for a refreshed lifestyle brand surrounding the whole organisation. 

The rebrand blends fashion and football, old school and urban. Whereas the old logo was colourful and cartoonish, almost reminiscent of high school football teams, the new logo aims for minimalism and presents an ‘M’ that is at the same time a letter, a plane, a bird and Québec’s iconic fleur-de-lys. The wordmark ‘Montréal Alouettes’ kerns on the curves of the logo badge, while the visual composition itself recalls Montréal’s city emblem and comes in blue, white, and red versions. 

To bring the fashion identity to life, the Alouettes have also partnered with VICE, which described the team as “proud, passionate and resilient” and helped them grasp their own identity. ‘Toujours Game’ is the team’s new motto, and it can be already found across several fashion applications.

The identity includes a ‘MontréALS’ wordmark. Blending the city name with the team’s nickname, the new wordmark is an attempt to further connect Montrealers with the organisation.

“We came to the conclusion that our DNA must reflect Montréal’s DNA even more,” Alouettes president and CEO Patrick Boivin says. “We intend on better connecting with Montrealers in different areas that define our city such as music, gastronomy, fashion and culture, among other things.”

Both new logo and colours are already being used in posters, books and clothing hosting the brand’s name, as well as in uniforms for the football team itself.