The Bournemouth logo is one of the more distinctive crests in English football. It doesn’t follow the usual coat-of-arms approach that so many clubs default to. Instead, it tells a specific story, rooted in a real person and a club that nearly disappeared altogether.
AFC Bournemouth, founded in 1899 as Boscombe St. John’s Institute FC, has gone through roughly ten different badge designs. The current primary crest, introduced in 2013, features a shield shape with the silhouette of former player Dicky Dowsett heading a football, red and black striped background, and gold lettering. A newer circular secondary badge featuring cherries was also trademarked in 2024, pulling from 1980s-era designs.
Red has been the one constant through every version. The club has worn red and black stripes for over 50 years, and the badge has reflected that. For a club that went from near-liquidation to Premier League football in less than a decade, the logo carries more weight than most people realize.
What Is the AFC Bournemouth Logo?
The AFC Bournemouth logo is a shield-shaped emblem featuring a silhouette of Dicky Dowsett heading a football, set against red and black diagonal stripes. Introduced in its current form in 2013, the crest includes gold text reading “AFC Bournemouth” and was designed to reflect the club’s promotion-era ambitions.
Here is a breakdown of its core attributes:
- Design Type: Combination mark (emblem with integrated wordmark)
- Primary Elements: Player silhouette, football, diagonal stripes, shield shape, gold lettering
- Official Introduction Date: 2013 (current version). The Dowsett silhouette concept originated in 1972.
- Designer: The original 1972 Dowsett crest was developed internally by the club. The 2024 secondary cherry badge was created by designer Daniel Norris.
- Trademark Status: Registered trademark. A new circular badge was also filed for trademark in early 2024.
- Color Palette: Red (#DA291C), Dark Red (#B50E12), Black (#000000), Light Gold (#EFDBB2), Dark Gold (#A89968), White (#FFFFFF)
- Usage Context: Match kits, stadium signage, digital platforms, club merchandise, official communications, broadcast graphics
How Has the AFC Bournemouth Logo Evolved Over Time?
The Bournemouth badge has changed at least ten times since the club’s founding. It started with a borrowed coat of arms, moved through a typography-only phase, then found its identity in 1972 with the Dicky Dowsett silhouette that remains central to the crest today.
Most clubs go through three or four logo changes. Bournemouth went through nearly a dozen, and each one reflected something happening off the pitch as much as on it.
The Coat of Arms Era (1936-1966)
The first official badge showed up in 1936. It was adapted from Bournemouth’s civic coat of arms, a traditional shield carrying the Latin motto “Pulchritudo et Salubritas” (beautiful and healthy).
This wasn’t a football badge in any real sense. It was a local government symbol slapped onto a football kit.
Still, it lasted 30 years. The club was called Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic at the time, playing in the lower divisions and not putting much thought into brand identity. Nobody did back then.
The red and white shield tied the club to the town rather than to football itself, which was common for English clubs in that era.
The Typography Badge (1966-1972)
In 1966, the club ditched the coat of arms entirely and went with something shockingly minimal. Just the letters “BFC” in white script on a red background.
That was it. No imagery, no symbols, no shield. If you’re familiar with minimalist design principles, this was that approach before anyone called it that.
The choice of a pure typographic treatment was unusual for English football at the time. Most clubs still relied on heraldic crests.
It didn’t last. The lack of visual personality made it forgettable, and by 1972, the club was ready for something completely different.
The Birth of the Dowsett Crest (1972-1974)
This is where it gets interesting.
In 1972, the club officially changed its name to AFC Bournemouth. And with the new name came a badge unlike anything else in English football: a silhouette of Dicky Dowsett, a former striker and commercial manager, heading a football.
Dowsett had scored 84 goals in red and black. He was also the person who pushed for the Boscombe name to be dropped. So putting his likeness on the crest made perfect sense.
The early version was rough around the edges. A basic illustration of the head and football, with limited detail. But the concept was locked in.
Red and black appeared together on the badge for the first time here. That combination has stayed ever since.
The AFCB Circle Badge (1974-1981)
Two years later, the crest got cleaned up. The Dowsett silhouette stayed, but now it sat inside a circular frame with “AFCB” arched above it in black capitals.
The background introduced red, black, and white geometric stripes. Think of it as the first version that looked like a proper football crest rather than a quick illustration.
There was a sense of balance to this version. The circle contained everything neatly, and the monochrome silhouette sat cleanly against the striped background.
This was the template that most future versions would reference.
The Cherry Experiment (1981-1983)
For two seasons, the club replaced Dowsett entirely. The 1981 badge featured a pair of cherries with a black-and-white football on a red background, circled by a white ring with “The Cherries” in black lettering.
The nickname “The Cherries” comes from two things. The red and black kit colors resemble a cherry. And Dean Court, their home ground since 1910, was built next to the Cooper-Dean estate, which was once a large cherry orchard.
Fans had mixed feelings. The design was playful and distinct, but it lost the identity that Dowsett’s silhouette had established. After just two years, the club brought back the player image.
Worth noting: the new secondary badge trademarked in 2024 pulls heavily from this 1981-1983 design. So it wasn’t forgotten.
The Refined Shield Era (1983-2013)
From 1983 onward, the Dowsett silhouette was back for good. But the badge went through several refinements.
In 1983, the circle and initials were removed. Red background, simplified shield shape. In 1988, the crest added a black outline, white background, and diagonal striped hair detail on the Dowsett figure, pulling from the 1974 version. A bold sans-serif “AFC Bournemouth” wordmark sat underneath.
Then came 1994. The scarlet red shifted to a calmer shade. The straight lettering was replaced by an arched ribbon with “Bournemouth” in title case. This version stuck around for nearly 20 years.
During this period, the club experienced relegation, financial crisis, near-liquidation, and then a comeback story under Eddie Howe that took them from League Two all the way to the Premier League.
The Current Crest (2013-Present)
The 2013 redesign kept everything people loved. The Dowsett silhouette heading the football. The red and black stripes. The shield shape.
What changed was the polish. Gold lettering replaced the previous black and red text. The shield lines got cleaner. “AFC Bournemouth” appeared at the top of the shield in gold capitals. The overall look was sharper and more suited to broadcast and digital use.
This is the badge that went to the Premier League. It carried the club through their first top-flight season in 2015-16 and has become closely connected to the most successful period in the club’s history.
What Do the Design Elements of the AFC Bournemouth Logo Mean?
Every piece of the Bournemouth crest connects to something real. The silhouette is a specific person. The stripes match the kit. The colors reference both the club’s nickname and its playing history. Nothing in this badge is decorative filler.
That’s actually rare. Plenty of football badges use generic symbols. Bournemouth’s tells a story you can trace back to the 1970s.
Why Did AFC Bournemouth Choose These Specific Colors?
The short answer: the kit came first, and the badge followed. Red and black stripes have been on Bournemouth shirts since the early 1970s, so the badge colors were always going to match.
Here’s the full color palette breakdown:
- Red – Hex: #DA291C, RGB: (218, 41, 28), CMYK: (0, 95, 100, 0), Pantone: PMS 485 C. Signals energy and competitiveness. Also connects to the cherry fruit, which is where the nickname comes from.
- Dark Red – Hex: #B50E12, RGB: (181, 14, 18), CMYK: (20, 100, 100, 12), Pantone: PMS 7627 C. Used as a supporting shade for depth.
- Black – Hex: #000000, RGB: (0, 0, 0), CMYK: (60, 40, 40, 100), Pantone: PMS Black 6 C. Adds weight and seriousness to the badge. Also matches the black stripes on the kit.
- Light Gold – Hex: #EFDBB2, RGB: (239, 219, 178), CMYK: (0, 7, 25, 1), Pantone: PMS 7506 C. Added in 2013 to mark the club’s upward trajectory and recent success.
- Dark Gold – Hex: #A89968, RGB: (168, 153, 104), CMYK: (10, 15, 50, 29), Pantone: PMS 7503 C. Supports the light gold in text and accent areas.
The gold was a smart addition. It set the 2013 badge apart from earlier versions without changing the core identity. Understanding how colors affect perception explains why gold reads as achievement and ambition, which is exactly what the club was building toward at the time.
What Typography Style Is Used in the AFC Bournemouth Logo?
The current badge uses a custom sans-serif typeface for “AFC BOURNEMOUTH” across the top of the shield. It’s bold, uppercase, and spaced tightly.
Gold coloring on the letterforms makes them stand out against the darker background elements. The letter spacing is compact but legible, even at small sizes on broadcast graphics.
Earlier versions used a mix of styles. The 1994 badge had a traditional arched ribbon with more classic lettering. The 1988 version used a confident, blocky sans-serif beneath the shield. Each reflected the design trends of its time.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the AFC Bournemouth Logo?
The Dowsett silhouette is the biggest one. Most people see a generic footballer heading a ball. It’s actually a portrait of Dicky Dowsett, who was both a striker and the commercial manager who pushed the rebrand away from the Boscombe name.
The diagonal stripes behind the figure mirror the red and black stripes on the playing kit. That detail connects the badge directly to what the team looks like on the pitch.
The gold accents, added in 2013, were meant to signal recent success and ambition. Not subtle, but effective. The club was climbing the football pyramid at the time, and the badge reflected that confidence.
How Does the AFC Bournemouth Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Most English football badges rely on shields, animals, or civic heraldry. Bournemouth uses a human silhouette. That alone makes it stand out.
Compare it to rivals in the Premier League. The Southampton badge uses a traditional halo and shield with the city’s tree symbol. The Crystal Palace crest features an eagle. Wolverhampton Wanderers use a geometric wolf head.
Bournemouth’s approach is closer to what you’d see in strong logo design outside of football. It picks a single strong image and builds everything around it.
Among south coast clubs, the Bournemouth badge reads as more modern and personality-driven. The Reading FC crest is more traditional, and the Fulham badge leans classic with its “FFC” monogram.
The trade-off is that Bournemouth’s badge doesn’t carry the same heraldic weight. It looks clean on a screen but doesn’t have the layered symbolism of, say, the Liverpool crest or the Arsenal cannon. Whether that matters depends on what you think a football badge should do.
What Are the Technical Specifications of the AFC Bournemouth Logo?
Official Color Codes
- Primary Red: Hex #DA291C | RGB (218, 41, 28) | CMYK (0, 95, 100, 0) | Pantone PMS 485 C
- Dark Red: Hex #B50E12 | RGB (181, 14, 18) | CMYK (20, 100, 100, 12) | Pantone PMS 7627 C
- Black: Hex #000000 | RGB (0, 0, 0) | CMYK (60, 40, 40, 100) | Pantone PMS Black 6 C
- Light Gold: Hex #EFDBB2 | RGB (239, 219, 178) | CMYK (0, 7, 25, 1) | Pantone PMS 7506 C
- Dark Gold: Hex #A89968 | RGB (168, 153, 104) | CMYK (10, 15, 50, 29) | Pantone PMS 7503 C
- White: Hex #FFFFFF | RGB (255, 255, 255) | CMYK (0, 0, 0, 0)
Dimensions and Proportions
The shield shape uses a roughly 5:6 width-to-height ratio. The Dowsett silhouette sits in the upper two-thirds, with the text and lower shield narrowing to a point.
For digital use, the badge works well down to about 32 pixels wide before details start to disappear. Anything smaller and you need the simplified “AFCB” mark or the cherry icon.
Clear space requirements follow standard practice for sports branding. The badge needs breathing room equal to roughly the height of the “AFC” text on all sides. For printed materials, a minimum DPI of 300 is expected for reproduction quality.
The club provides vector files for official use, which means the badge scales to any size without quality loss. For web use, PNG and JPEG formats are the common output.
What Cultural Impact Has the AFC Bournemouth Logo Had?
Before 2015, most football fans outside of England’s south coast wouldn’t have recognized this badge. The Premier League promotion changed that completely.
The Dowsett silhouette became one of those images that people associate with an underdog story. A club that was nearly expelled from the Football League in 2008 was suddenly on Match of the Day every week, and their badge was everywhere.
The 2024 collaboration with actor and minority owner Michael B. Jordan introduced the vintage cherry design to a fashion and pop culture audience. Limited edition kits featuring the retro-inspired badge sold out quickly. That crossover between football identity and streetwear culture gave the Bournemouth badge a second life outside of traditional sports branding.
For a club from a town of about 200,000 people, that kind of reach is significant. The badge has become shorthand for what smaller clubs can achieve when things go right.
How Does the AFC Bournemouth Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The badge doesn’t exist in isolation. It sits inside a broader system that includes the red and black kit, the “Cherries” nickname, the Vitality Stadium, and the club’s visual language across digital and physical spaces.
Gold accents from the badge carry into match programs, the club website, and social media templates. The Dowsett silhouette shows up as a standalone icon in places where the full badge is too detailed.
Under the ownership of Bill Foley’s group since 2022, the club has pushed harder on brand consistency. The brand guidelines cover everything from badge placement on kits to how the crest appears on digital platforms. Michael B. Jordan’s involvement has added a creative dimension, with the vintage cherry badge functioning almost as a sub-brand for special projects and limited-edition releases.
How Should the AFC Bournemouth Logo Be Used?
Official guidelines specify a few non-negotiable rules:
- The badge cannot be stretched, rotated, or recolored outside of approved variations
- Clear space must be maintained around the crest at all times
- The gold text must remain legible against any background it appears on
- Simplified versions (AFCB monogram or cherry icon) should be used at small sizes rather than shrinking the full badge
Where to access official logos: The club’s media center and official website (afcb.co.uk) provide assets for press and licensed partners. General public use for commercial purposes requires licensing.
Trademark protection: The AFC Bournemouth badge is a registered trademark. Unauthorized commercial use, reproduction on merchandise, or modification of the design without permission can result in legal action. Fan-created content for non-commercial purposes is generally tolerated, but selling items with the badge requires a licensing agreement.
The 2024 cherry badge has also been trademarked separately, which suggests the club plans to run both marks going forward, possibly using the cherry design for lifestyle and fashion products while keeping the Dowsett crest for football-specific use.
FAQ on The Bournemouth Logo
What does the AFC Bournemouth logo look like?
The current AFC Bournemouth crest is a shield with a silhouette of Dicky Dowsett heading a football. Red and black diagonal stripes fill the background. Gold lettering reads “AFC Bournemouth” across the top of the shield.
Why is there a head on the Bournemouth badge?
That’s Dicky Dowsett. He was a former striker and commercial manager who scored 84 goals for the club.
He also pushed to drop the “Boscombe” name. The club put his likeness on the football club crest in 1972 as a tribute.
What do the colors on the Bournemouth logo mean?
Red and black match the club’s kit colours worn since the early 1970s. Gold was added in 2013 to represent the club’s recent achievements. White provides contrast and clarity across the badge design.
When was the current Bournemouth crest introduced?
The current version launched in 2013. It refined the Dowsett silhouette concept that first appeared in 1972.
This is the badge that carried the Cherries into their first Premier League season in 2015.
Why are Bournemouth called The Cherries?
Two reasons. The red and black striped shirts resemble a cherry. And Dean Court, their home ground since 1910, was built beside the Cooper-Dean estate, which was once a large cherry orchard in Dorset.
Has AFC Bournemouth changed their logo recently?
In 2024, the club trademarked a new circular secondary badge. It features cherries and a football inside a round frame with “AFC Bournemouth” and “The Cherries” text.
Designer Daniel Norris created it. The design references the club badge from 1981-1983.
How many times has the Bournemouth badge changed?
Roughly ten times since 1936. The club started with a civic coat of arms, moved to a text-only design in 1966, then adopted the Dowsett silhouette in 1972.
Most changes happened between the 1970s and 1990s.
What is the official color code for Bournemouth red?
The primary red is Hex #DA291C, with a Pantone of PMS 485 C. The dark red accent is #B50E12. Both are used across the team emblem and official merchandise.
Can I use the Bournemouth logo for my own project?
Not commercially. The AFC Bournemouth badge is a registered trademark.
Fan-created non-commercial content is generally tolerated. But selling anything with the crest on it requires a licensing agreement from the club.
Where can I download the official Bournemouth logo?
The club’s official website at afcb.co.uk provides media assets for press and licensed partners. High-quality PNG and SVG files are available there. Unauthorized reproduction or modification of the Bournemouth FC branding is not permitted.
Conclusion
The Bournemouth logo works because it never tried to be something it wasn’t. From the 1936 coat of arms to the 2013 Premier League crest, every version reflected where the club actually stood at that moment.
Dicky Dowsett’s silhouette gives the badge something most football emblems lack: a real person behind the design.
The red and black stripes, the gold accents, the shield shape. These aren’t random picks. They connect directly to the kit, the nickname, and the club heritage built over 125 years in Dorset.
With the new cherry badge entering the picture alongside the classic Dowsett mark, AFC Bournemouth now has two visual identities working together. That’s a smart move for a club pushing into merchandise, digital content, and global recognition beyond the Vitality Stadium.
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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