The Nottingham Forest logo is one of those football badges that just sticks with you. It’s been around in some form since the 1970s, and it still looks fresh on a matchday shirt. Built around a stylized tree, wavy river lines, and the word “Forest” in bold lettering, the crest ties together the club’s roots in Nottingham with its remarkable European success.
Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest F.C. is one of the oldest football clubs in England. The club has played at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Trent, since 1898.
The current badge came out of a 1973 competition run by the Nottingham Evening Post. Two stars were added above it later to mark the back-to-back European Cup wins of 1979 and 1980.
David Lewis, a designer and lecturer in graphic art at Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University), created the winning design, picked from more than 800 entries.
What Is the Nottingham Forest Logo?
The Nottingham Forest logo is a red-and-white badge showing a stylized tree for Sherwood Forest above wavy lines for the River Trent, with the word “Forest” beneath. It was designed by David Lewis, a Trent Polytechnic lecturer, who won a Nottingham Evening Post fan competition in 1973. Two stars for the 1979 and 1980 European Cups now sit above it.
| Symbol | Stylized tree (Sherwood Forest) over wavy lines (River Trent), “Forest” wordmark, two stars |
| Designer/agency | David Lewis, Trent Polytechnic lecturer (1973 Nottingham Evening Post competition) |
| Current version since | 1973 design, adopted from 1973–74; stars added after the 1979 and 1980 European Cups |
| Colors (hex) | Garibaldi red (approx. #DD0000, sampled from the current logo) and white #FFFFFF |
| Typeface | Bold condensed sans-serif; the club has not named it publicly |
| Previous major version | Adapted City of Nottingham coat of arms with “NFFC” in place of the castle (on shirts from 1957) |
How Has the Nottingham Forest Logo Evolved Over Time?
The badge story is shorter than most. There’s no record of an official crest before the Second World War. After the war the club borrowed Nottingham’s civic arms, later adapted them with the letters NFFC, and then switched to a completely original design in the 1970s that is still in use, with stars added after the European Cup wins.
No Official Crest (1865 to the Late 1940s)
- Years Active: 1865 to shortly after the Second World War
- Design Description: No official club badge is recorded for this period. The club’s identity came from its red shirts rather than any crest.
- Color Scheme: Garibaldi red, chosen at the founding meeting in 1865
- Context: Forest was founded in 1865 at the Clinton Arms in Nottingham by a group of shinty players who switched to association football. The name comes from the Forest Recreation Ground, where the club first played.
- Cultural Significance: At that first meeting the members agreed to buy twelve tasselled caps in “Garibaldi red,” after Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Redshirts. The color has been the club’s most lasting identity marker ever since.
Nottingham City Coat of Arms Badge (Late 1940s to 1973)
- Years Active: Shortly after the Second World War until 1973 (on shirts from 1957)
- Design Description: Based on the City of Nottingham coat of arms: a green ragged cross with gold crowns, two stag supporters and a castle crest. Forest later replaced the castle with the letters “N.F.F.C.”
- Color Scheme: Red and white on shirts, with the heraldic colors of the city arms
- Designer: Based on existing civic heraldry; no individual designer is credited for the adaptation
- Context: Many English clubs used local civic arms during this era. It was a straightforward way to show local pride. But it created a problem down the line, because the club could not copyright a city symbol.
- Old logo in one sentence: The old Nottingham Forest logo was a heraldic shield with a cross, crowns and stags, topped by “NFFC” instead of the city’s castle.
The David Lewis Tree Crest (1973 to Present)
- Years Active: 1973–74 to present
- Design Description: Stylized tree for Sherwood Forest, wavy lines for the River Trent, and the word “Forest” in bold uppercase
- Color Scheme: Garibaldi red and white
- Designer: David Lewis, a designer and lecturer in graphic art at Trent Polytechnic
- Context: Because the coat of arms couldn’t be copyrighted, the club needed something of its own. The Nottingham Evening Post ran a competition in summer 1973, and Lewis’s entry was chosen from more than 800 submissions.
- Key Changes from Previous: A complete break from civic heraldry. The new badge was entirely original, built around natural landmarks instead of governmental symbols.
- Cultural Significance: This design arrived just before the Brian Clough era. Clough is sometimes credited with the badge, but he only became manager in 1975. The timing was perfect anyway: the tree became the visual shorthand for the club’s greatest period.
Two-Star Version (After 1980)
- Years Active: After the 1980 European Cup to present; the exact season the stars first appeared isn’t well documented
- Design Description: The same Lewis design with two five-pointed stars placed above the tree to mark back-to-back European Cup victories
- Color Scheme: Garibaldi red and white, with the stars shown in gold on some special kits, such as the 2015–16 150th anniversary shirt
- Context: Forest won the European Cup in 1979 and defended it in 1980 under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Adding stars above a badge to mark major titles is a common tradition across European football.
- Cultural Significance: The two stars are what make this badge unmistakable. Forest are the only club to have won the European Cup more times than their domestic league title. Those stars carry serious weight.
The core design elements have stayed the same since 1973. Renderings have been cleaned up over the years for print and screens, but no formal redesign has been announced by the club.
What Do the Design Elements of the Nottingham Forest Logo Mean?
Every piece of the badge points back to Nottingham itself. The tree is Sherwood Forest. The wavy lines are the River Trent. The two stars are the European Cup wins.
Nothing in this badge is decorative for the sake of it. Each element carries a specific reference, either geographic or historical.
And the red? That goes all the way back to 1865, when the founding members chose Garibaldi red to honor the Italian freedom fighter and his Redshirts.
What Are the Nottingham Forest Logo Colors?
Garibaldi Red
- Hex: approx. #DD0000, sampled from the current logo
- Named after Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Redshirts volunteers
- Chosen at the founding meeting in 1865 and still the home shirt color
- In 1886 Forest donated a set of kits to help the club that became Arsenal get started, and Arsenal still wear red
White
- Hex: #FFFFFF
- Used as the secondary color for contrast and readability
- Appears in the lettering and background areas
The club doesn’t publish official RGB, CMYK or Pantone values for the badge, so treat any exact code you see online, including the one above, as an approximation.
The two-color palette is clean. Nothing extra. That simplicity is part of what makes the badge work at any size, from massive stadium displays to tiny app icons.
If you’re curious about the thinking behind color choices in branding, color psychology plays a big role in how fans and casual viewers perceive a club’s identity.
What Font Is Used in the Nottingham Forest Logo?
The word “Forest” on the badge is set in a bold, condensed sans-serif typeface. The club has never named the typeface publicly. Fan and logo sites often compare it to condensed Helvetica styles, but that’s a resemblance, not a confirmed source.
It’s tight, uppercase, and reads clearly even at small sizes. The letterforms are sturdy without being heavy, which keeps the badge from feeling cluttered.
If you need something similar for a fan project, any heavy condensed grotesque font will get you close, though it won’t be an exact match.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Nottingham Forest Logo?
The tree is the most obvious symbol, but its style matters. It’s not a literal oak. It’s simplified, almost abstracted, which lets it function as a clean graphic at any scale.
The wavy lines under the tree aren’t just decoration. They represent the River Trent, which flows right past the City Ground where Forest have played since 1898.
And while Robin Hood isn’t shown on the badge, the link between Nottingham, Sherwood Forest and the outlaw legend is part of what the tree evokes for most people who see it.
How Does the Nottingham Forest Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
English football badges tend to fall into a few categories. There are the heraldic crests like Liverpool’s and Chelsea’s shields. There are the simpler, more modern marks like Manchester City’s circular badge.
And then there’s Nottingham Forest, which sits somewhere in between.
It’s not as complex as traditional heraldic crests, but it’s not stripped back to the bare minimum either. The tree and river give it a distinct visual character that most Premier League badges lack. You won’t confuse it with anything else.
Compared to local rivals like Derby County with their ram emblem, or Leicester City’s fox, Forest’s badge takes a landscape approach rather than an animal-based one. It’s rooted (literally) in place rather than character.
Against other tree-themed crests across European football, Forest’s version stands out for its simplicity. No unnecessary borders, no complex shields layered on top. Just the tree, the river, the stars, and the name. That restraint, which aligns well with strong logo design principles, is what keeps it timeless.
Because the shape is so simple, the badge works well as a vector graphic and holds up in print, on embroidered shirts and at thumbnail size on screens.
What Cultural Impact Has the Nottingham Forest Logo Had?
This badge shows up everywhere in Nottingham. Pubs near the City Ground display it. Tattoo artists recreate it. It’s been printed on everything from scarves to car stickers to phone cases.
But the real cultural weight comes from those two stars. Forest won back-to-back European Cups under Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980, a run that still feels impossible for a club of Forest’s size. Those stars are a constant reminder of that achievement, and they give the crest a prestige that goes beyond domestic football.
The badge also represents a specific kind of football identity. Forest aren’t flashy. They’re a club with deep roots in their community, and the badge, with its local landmarks and no-nonsense color scheme, reflects that.
Internationally, the badge carries recognition among football fans who know their history. The Clough era put Forest on the map, and the tree became the visual shorthand for that story.
How Does the Nottingham Forest Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The badge is the anchor point for everything the club does visually. The Garibaldi red flows from the crest into kits, stadium branding, the official website and social media, much as brand guidelines would tie together any visual identity.
Kit suppliers (currently Adidas) build their designs around the badge. The red and white color palette sets the home kit colors every season.
The club’s nicknames include Forest, the Reds, the Garibaldis and the Tricky Trees. The “Trees” part comes from the club’s name and Sherwood Forest, and the tree on the crest helped cement it. So the logo doesn’t just represent the brand. It also shapes the language fans use to talk about the club.
How Should the Nottingham Forest Logo Be Used?
This is general advice, not the club’s own rules. The Nottingham Forest crest is a protected club trademark; the 1973 redesign was driven by the need for a badge the club could protect, since it couldn’t copyright the city coat of arms.
Editorial use, like news coverage, match reports or an article like this one, is usually fine when the badge is shown as it is and isn’t altered.
Commercial use is different. Putting the crest on products you sell needs a license from the club, and selling unlicensed merchandise is trademark infringement. When in doubt, contact the club before using the badge for anything commercial.
FAQ on the Nottingham Forest Logo
What does the Nottingham Forest logo look like?
The badge features a stylized tree representing Sherwood Forest, wavy lines for the River Trent, and the word “Forest” in bold uppercase. Two stars sit above it, marking the club’s back-to-back European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980.
Who designed the current Nottingham Forest badge?
David Lewis, a designer and lecturer in graphic art at Trent Polytechnic, now Nottingham Trent University. His entry won a Nottingham Evening Post competition in summer 1973, chosen from more than 800 submissions.
What was the old Nottingham Forest logo?
Before 1973 the club used an adapted City of Nottingham coat of arms, with a cross, crowns and stags, and the letters “NFFC” in place of the castle. It appeared on shirts from 1957.
What do the two stars on the Nottingham Forest crest mean?
They represent the two European Cup wins under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Forest won in 1979 and defended the title in 1980. The stars were added to the existing tree badge after those wins.
Why is Nottingham Forest’s color called Garibaldi red?
At the founding meeting in 1865 the members agreed to buy red caps named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian patriot who led the Redshirts volunteers.
In 1886 Forest also donated red kits to the club that became Arsenal, which still plays in red.
What are the Nottingham Forest logo colors?
Garibaldi red and white. The club doesn’t publish official codes; the red is approximately #DD0000 when sampled from the current logo, and the white is #FFFFFF.
What font is used in the Nottingham Forest logo?
A bold, condensed uppercase sans-serif. The club has never named it, and the often-repeated comparison to condensed Helvetica styles is a resemblance, not a confirmed fact.
Has Nottingham Forest ever changed its logo?
Yes, but only a few times. There was no official crest before the Second World War, then an adapted city coat of arms, then the David Lewis tree badge from 1973. The stars came after 1980. The tree design itself hasn’t been replaced since.
What does the tree in the Nottingham Forest emblem represent?
It refers to Sherwood Forest, the woodland tied to the Robin Hood legend. The club’s name itself comes from the Forest Recreation Ground where it first played.
What do the wavy lines in the Forest badge mean?
They represent the River Trent, which flows right past the City Ground, where Forest have played since 1898.
Why are Nottingham Forest called the Tricky Trees?
“Trees” plays on the club’s name and Sherwood Forest, and the tree on the 1973 crest helped make the nickname stick. Forest are also known as the Reds and the Garibaldis.
Conclusion
The Nottingham Forest logo tells you everything about this club in a single glance. A tree for Sherwood, a river for the Trent, two stars for those unforgettable European nights under Brian Clough.
Few Premier League club crests carry that kind of clarity. No clutter, no gimmicks. Just Garibaldi red, white, and a badge that has barely needed changing since David Lewis won that newspaper competition in 1973.
It works on a matchday shirt at the City Ground. It works as a tiny icon on a phone screen. That’s good design.
For a club founded in 1865, the NFFC emblem keeps proving that the best football club badges don’t chase trends. They hold their ground.
Sources
- Picture Nottingham, Nottingham Forest club badge competition winner, 1973 – https://picturenottingham.co.uk/image-library/image-details/poster/ntgm007426/posterid/ntgm007426.html
- What’s Behind the Badge, Nottingham Forest – https://whatsbehindthebadge.com/?p=556
- Wikipedia, Nottingham Forest F.C. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Forest_F.C.
- Goal, Why do Nottingham Forest have two stars on their crest? – https://www.goal.com/en/news/why-nottingham-forest-two-stars-on-crest/blt3b8c32eb70e86636
- A Bola, Why Nottingham Forest fans are the Tricky Trees – https://www.abola.pt/noticias/sabe-por-que-e-que-os-adeptos-do-nottingham-forest-sao-os-tricky-trees-2025052718024729583
- Footy Headlines, Nottingham Forest 150th anniversary 15-16 kit – https://www.footyheadlines.com/2015/06/nottingham-forest-150th-anniversary-15-16-kit.html?m=1
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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