The Hibernian logo is the official crest of Hibernian Football Club, one of the oldest and most storied clubs in Scottish football. Founded in 1875 by Irish immigrants in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area, Hibs carry a badge that tells their full story, from Irish roots to Scottish identity to a deep connection with the port district of Leith.
The current version of the crest has been in use since 2000. It features three core symbols on a green and white shield: a harp, a ship, and a castle. Each one represents a different strand of the club’s identity. The badge sits within the broader tradition of Scottish football branding, where club crests often carry heavy historical and cultural weight. But few do it quite like Hibs.
Over roughly 150 years, the club has used four distinct badge designs. The current iteration brought back the Irish harp after decades of absence, something that sparked real conversation among supporters about what the club should stand for visually.
What Is the Hibernian Logo?
The Hibernian logo is a shield-shaped emblem featuring a harp, a sailing ship, and a castle, introduced in 2000. It represents the club’s Irish heritage, its ties to the port of Leith, and its home city of Edinburgh. The green and white color palette reflects long-standing club traditions.
Here’s what defines the current crest:
- Design Type: Combination mark (shield emblem with integrated text and symbols)
- Primary Elements: Irish harp, sailing ship, Edinburgh Castle, club name text, green shield shape
- Official Introduction Date: 2000 (1999/2000 season onward)
- Designer/Agency: Created through supporter consultation after Sir Tom Farmer’s ownership stabilized the club in the early 1990s
- Trademark Status: Registered trademark of The Hibernian Football Club Limited (Companies House SC005323, registered 11 April 1903)
- Color Palette: Green (#00753B) and White (#FFFFFF)
- Usage Context: Match kits, official merchandise, Easter Road stadium signage, digital platforms, club correspondence, and all marketing materials
How Has the Hibernian Logo Evolved Over Time?
The Hibernian badge has gone through four major versions since 1875. The club spent its first century without any crest on playing kits at all.
It wasn’t until 1979/80 that a badge first appeared on the shirt. Each redesign reflected broader shifts in how the club saw itself and how football branding was changing across Scotland and Europe.
The Original Harp Emblem (1875-1879)
- Years Active: 1875-1879
- Design Description: A simple harp placed on the left breast of a white jersey. Players were required to provide their own caps and white tops with this emblem. From 1876 to 1879, the harp was replaced by the letters “HFC” in blackletter script on green and white hooped shirts.
- Color Scheme: White jersey initially, then green and white hoops
- Context: The harp was chosen to reflect the Irish roots of the club’s founders. Canon Edward Joseph Hannan and Michael Whelahan established the club for Edinburgh’s Irish Catholic community, so the Celtic harp was a natural choice.
- Cultural Significance: This was the club’s first visual identity. The harp would remain associated with Hibs for roughly 75 years across stationery, programmes, and memorabilia, even though it disappeared from kits after just one year.
The Crown Crest (1979-1989)
- Years Active: 1979/80 to 1989
- Design Description: A circular badge with a football topped by a crown, flanked by laurel branches. “Hibernian FC” appeared above and “Edinburgh” below. The arrangement of the football, laurel, and crown looked somewhat like a thistle.
- Color Scheme: Initially a monochrome stamped image, later fully colorized with embroidery on a white background by the mid-1980s
- Context: This was the first badge ever worn on Hibs playing kits. Some believe it drew inspiration from Real Madrid’s crest, similar to how Hibs reportedly borrowed the white-sleeve idea from Arsenal in the 1930s.
- Key Changes from Previous: Dropped the harp entirely. No reference to Irish heritage. Focused instead on Edinburgh and a generic football identity.
- Cultural Significance: Marked Hibs’ entry into the modern era of football branding, where having a visible badge on match shirts became the norm across Scottish and European clubs.
The Saturn Badge (1989-2000)
- Years Active: 1989 to 2000
- Design Description: A modernist, oval-shaped crest introduced under owner David Duff. It was chosen through a fans’ competition and was described at the time as “modern and representative of Hibernian at the end of the twentieth century.”
- Color Scheme: Green, white, and gold accents
- Context: Football clubs across Britain were beginning to take brand identity seriously. Duff wanted something that looked contemporary. The result divided opinion sharply.
- Key Changes from Previous: Completely abandoned both the crown design and any historical symbols. This was a clean break from tradition.
- Cultural Significance: Fans nicknamed it the “planet Saturn badge.” Others compared it to a beer mat or bottle label. It wasn’t popular. But its outline was built into the girders of the Famous Five Stand at Easter Road, where it still remains. After Sir Tom Farmer rescued the club from near-bankruptcy in 1991, pressure grew for a badge that better reflected the club’s full history.
The Current Hibernian Crest (2000-Present)
- Years Active: 2000 to present
- Design Description: A green shield divided into sections, each containing one of three symbols: a harp (Ireland), a ship (Leith), and a castle (Edinburgh). The club name wraps around the top with “Hibernian” displayed clearly.
- Color Scheme: Green (#00753B) and White (#FFFFFF)
- Context: Developed through supporter consultation under Farmer’s ownership. The goal was to represent every strand of the club’s identity. Scottish Football Museum director Ged O’Brien said in 2001 that the new design showed Hibs were “comfortable with all the strands of their tradition.”
- Key Changes from Previous: Brought back the Irish harp for the first time since the 1950s. Added the ship and castle as new elements. Returned to a more traditional heraldic look after the modernist Saturn era.
- Cultural Significance: This badge settled a decades-long debate about whether Hibs should acknowledge their Irish heritage openly. It now does, alongside Edinburgh and Leith. The three symbols together tell the complete story of where the club came from and where it belongs.
What Do the Design Elements of the Hibernian Logo Mean?
Every element in the Hibernian badge carries specific meaning. The harp points to Ireland and the club’s founding community. The ship represents Leith’s maritime history. The castle stands for Edinburgh itself.
Together, they form a badge that works almost like a coat of arms. It’s a deliberate layering of identity, not decoration. And that’s what makes it stand out among Scottish football crests.
Why Did Hibernian Choose These Specific Colors?
Green has been part of Hibernian since day one. The club was founded by Irish immigrants, and green was the color most associated with Ireland. It’s that straightforward.
White was added early on and has stayed ever since, typically appearing on sleeves and shorts.
The official color palette breaks down like this:
- Green: Hex #00753B, RGB (0, 117, 59), CMYK (90, 29, 100, 18), Pantone PMS 7732 C. Green carries associations of growth, renewal, and Irish identity. In color psychology, it signals loyalty and tradition.
- White: Hex #FFFFFF, RGB (255, 255, 255), CMYK (0, 0, 0, 0). White provides clean contrast and readability. It’s the secondary color that makes the green stand out on kits and printed materials.
The green used by Hibs has actually shifted over the years. A darker “bottle green” was used until the 1930s, then emerald green became standard. The club briefly returned to a darker shade for the 2012/13 season and again in 2014/15 to honor the Famous Five forward line. So even within “green,” there’s been variation. Your mileage may vary on which shade looks best.
What Typography Style Is Used in the Hibernian Logo?
The current crest uses a custom serif typeface for the “Hibernian” text. It has a traditional, slightly formal feel that matches the heraldic style of the shield.
The letterforms have moderate weight and clean terminals. Nothing flashy. The spacing between characters is tight enough to keep the name compact within the badge outline.
Earlier badges used different approaches. The 1876-1879 kits featured “HFC” in blackletter, which was common for the era. The crown crest used a simpler sans-serif style. The current serif choice feels deliberate, a way to signal heritage and permanence.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Hibernian Logo?
The three symbols (harp, ship, castle) aren’t hidden. They’re right there. But the deeper meaning is in the combination.
Having all three present at once was a political statement in 2000. For decades, the club debated whether to display Irish symbols openly. The harp had been removed in the 1950s. Putting it back, alongside Edinburgh and Leith symbols, said something about the club accepting every part of its identity.
The shield shape itself carries meaning too. It borrows from heraldic tradition, giving the crest a sense of authority that the Saturn badge never had. Look, the psychology behind shape choices in design matters more than people think.
How Does the Hibernian Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Scottish football crests tend to lean heavily on local history and heraldry. Hibs fit that pattern, but with a twist. Their badge is one of the few in Scotland that explicitly references a country other than Scotland itself.
Their Edinburgh rivals, Heart of Midlothian, use a maroon heart shape that’s cleaner and more immediately recognizable at small sizes. Celtic in Glasgow also acknowledge Irish roots through their four-leaf clover, but their badge is rounder and simpler. Glasgow Rangers go with a very different look, their crest built around intertwined RFC lettering.
Compared to other Scottish clubs like Aberdeen or Motherwell, the Hibs badge is busier. Three distinct pictorial elements inside a shield is a lot to take in. Some designers have pointed out it can feel disjointed. But that’s also what makes it distinctive. You won’t confuse it with anything else.
Among brands and clubs that use green, Hibs sit in a category where the color is deeply tied to cultural identity rather than just aesthetic preference.
What Are the Technical Specifications of the Hibernian Logo?
Official Color Codes
- Primary Color – Green: Hex #00753B | RGB (0, 117, 59) | CMYK (90, 29, 100, 18) | Pantone PMS 7732 C
- Secondary Color – White: Hex #FFFFFF | RGB (255, 255, 255) | CMYK (0, 0, 0, 0)
Dimensions and Proportions
The badge uses a shield shape with a slightly pointed base. The aspect ratio is roughly 1:1.2 (width to height). On match kits, the crest typically appears at approximately 8-10cm in height on the left chest area.
For digital use, the club provides vector versions of the crest that scale without losing quality. This matters for everything from social media avatars to large-format stadium printing. When working with raster formats, a minimum resolution of 300 DPI is standard for print applications.
Clear space around the badge should be maintained to keep it legible. The club’s official guidelines require a buffer zone around the crest equal to at least the height of the “H” in Hibernian when placing it alongside other graphic elements.
What Cultural Impact Has the Hibernian Logo Had?
The Hibernian crest matters beyond football. It represents one of the most visible symbols of Edinburgh’s Irish diaspora community. When the harp returned to the badge in 2000, it was a public acknowledgment of roots that had been visually downplayed for nearly half a century.
The club’s anthem, “Sunshine on Leith” by The Proclaimers (who are lifelong Hibs fans), often gets sung in front of that badge at Easter Road. The combination of the song and the crest has become a kind of shorthand for Leith identity itself.
Supporters wear the badge on scarves, pins, and tattoos. It shows up in pubs across Edinburgh’s north and east side. The Saturn badge, for all its unpopularity, still appears in the Famous Five Stand’s steelwork. Even rejected logos leave marks in the built environment, which is kind of interesting if you think about it.
How Does the Hibernian Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The badge is the anchor of everything visual about Hibernian FC. The green and white palette flows directly from the crest into kits, stadium decor, the official website, and all printed materials.
Easter Road itself reinforces the brand. The stadium’s color scheme, signage, and even the seat patterns reflect the green and white that the badge establishes. Kit manufacturers (currently Joma, previously Nike and others) build their shirt designs around the crest placement and color requirements.
The club’s brand guidelines dictate how the badge appears across different contexts. On merchandise, the crest gets adapted for different product types, sometimes simplified for small items like cufflinks or pins, sometimes reproduced in full detail on flags and banners. That kind of flexibility comes from having a strong foundational mark that works at multiple scales, something the Saturn badge struggled with.
Hibs’ visual identity connects a network of related ideas: Irish heritage, Edinburgh geography, Leith community, Scottish football tradition. The badge holds all of that together in one mark. It’s doing a lot of work. And at least in my experience, the clubs that last longest are the ones whose badges actually mean something to the people who wear them.
How Should the Hibernian Logo Be Used?
Official usage guidelines include:
- The badge should always appear in its official green and white colors when possible. A single-color (monochrome) version exists for situations where full color isn’t available.
- Don’t stretch, rotate, or distort the proportions of the crest. The shield shape needs to stay intact.
- Maintain clear space around the badge. Don’t crowd it with other graphics or text.
- When placing the badge on colored backgrounds, make sure there’s enough contrast for it to stay readable.
- The crest should not be modified, recolored, or partially cropped for unofficial use.
Where to access official logos: The club’s official website (hibernianfc.co.uk) is the primary source. Media and commercial partners can request high-resolution files directly from the club’s communications department.
Licensing information: The Hibernian crest is a registered trademark. Any commercial use requires written permission from the club. Fan-created content typically gets more leeway, but selling merchandise with the badge without a license isn’t allowed.
Trademark protection: The Hibernian Football Club Limited actively protects its trademarks. Unauthorized commercial reproduction of the crest can lead to legal action. This applies to physical merchandise, digital products, and any use that might suggest official endorsement by the club.
FAQ on The Hibernian Logo
What does the Hibernian logo look like?
The Hibernian FC badge is a green and white shield containing three symbols: an Irish harp, a sailing ship, and Edinburgh Castle. The club name curves across the top. It’s been the official crest since 2000.
What do the symbols on the Hibs crest mean?
The harp represents the club’s Irish heritage from its 1875 founding. The ship stands for the port of Leith. The castle represents Edinburgh itself.
Three symbols, three layers of identity. All in one badge.
When was the current Hibernian badge introduced?
The current club crest was introduced for the 1999/2000 season. It replaced the unpopular “Saturn badge” that had been used since 1989. Supporter consultation shaped the final design under Sir Tom Farmer’s ownership.
What are the official Hibernian logo colors?
Green (Hex #00753B) and white (Hex #FFFFFF) are the official colors. Green reflects the club’s Irish roots dating back to Edinburgh’s immigrant community. White provides contrast.
These colors have defined Hibernian FC since 1875.
How many times has the Hibernian badge changed?
Hibs have used four major badge designs. The original harp emblem came first in 1875. Then the crown crest in 1979. The Saturn badge arrived in 1989. The current shield-style crest followed in 2000.
Why does the Hibernian logo feature a harp?
Canon Edward Hannan and Michael Whelahan founded the club for Edinburgh’s Irish Catholic community. The harp was a direct symbol of Ireland. It was removed in the 1950s but brought back in the 2000 redesign.
What was the Saturn badge?
The Saturn badge was a modernist oval crest used from 1989 to 2000. Fans compared it to a beer mat. It won a supporters’ competition but never gained real affection. Its outline still exists in the Famous Five Stand girders at Easter Road.
How does the Hibs badge compare to the Heart of Midlothian crest?
The Edinburgh derby rivals take very different approaches. Hearts use a clean maroon heart shape. Hibs pack three pictorial elements into a shield.
The Hibs badge is busier but carries more layered meaning about the club’s history.
Can I use the Hibernian logo for my own projects?
Not without permission. The crest is a registered trademark of The Hibernian Football Club Limited. Commercial use requires written approval. Fan content gets more flexibility, but selling unofficial Hibs merchandise with the badge isn’t allowed.
Where can I download the official Hibernian FC logo?
The club’s official website at hibernianfc.co.uk is the primary source. Media partners can request high-resolution files from the communications department. Vector formats are available for print and digital use.
Conclusion
The Hibernian logo does what the best football badges do. It tells you exactly who this club is without saying a word.
Four crest redesigns across 150 years got Hibs to where they are now. A green and white shield that holds Ireland, Edinburgh, and Leith together in one mark.
The harp’s return in 2000 settled a long debate about the club’s visual identity. That decision still matters to supporters at Easter Road every matchday.
Few Scottish Premiership crests carry this much history. Fewer still manage to make it look this clean on a kit.
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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