Banda Agency responds to criticism of FC "Kharkiv" rebranding

Football club "Metalist 1925" became "Kharkiv", but rebranded by Banda Agency criticized on social networks: for the minimalist emblem and new colors, similar to the Italian "Roma" and even "Gryffindor" from "Harry Potter".

"Engaging fans is cool, we received powerful feedback in the comments. We did not see anything there that contradicts the brand to give a chance for at least a few seasons. Then - of course, it's up to the club to decide," - commented Banda Agency.

New emblem of "Kharkiv" and its variations by Banda Agency

Work on rebranding started in 2024. The creative agency team conducted interviews with the team, fans from Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine and Europe: "It turned out that fans rarely talk about one playing style or individual seasons. Instead, they constantly return to the history of the club".

During the rebranding process, the Banda Agency team attended about 10 matches over three seasons - from the Ukrainian Premier League, First League, and back to UPL, as reported by The Village: "At first, we went 'for the project', then it became a cool weekend activity".

The emblem combines the letter "X" in the style of constructivist architecture of Kharkiv, which also refers to the silhouettes of a Spartan helmet and shield, according to Banda Agency.

"We were looking for a symbol that would be aggressive, confident [...] The similarity to a shield refers to the old logo of 'Metalist 1925', and with the helmet, it will help to further build the visual world of the club," - responded the creative agency.

Burgundy-gold colors were chosen to avoid repetition with other professional clubs in Ukraine. "During the process, we saw similarities with 'Roma' and 'Galatasaray', but it was more important for us to embed the character of the club than to find a completely unique color combination in the world," - said Banda Agency.