Brentford’s badge: A date error, an 18-month consultation and a four-legged bee

Before Brentford’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season, manager Thomas Frank made a direct reference to the club’s badge and nickname and what they represent.

“We are a bumblebee,” Frank said. “They are not designed to fly, but we were still able to fly into the Premier League and we will constantly do everything we can to keep flying as high as possible.”

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Since they achieved promotion to the top flight, after beating Swansea City 2-0 in the 2021 Championship play-off final, Brentford’s badge has been shown around the world. The imagery of the bee has become iconic, yet bizarrely it was not on any of their early designs and the current version was only introduced for the 2017-18 campaign. It should be pointed out, though, that bees have six legs and the insect emblazoned across the club’s shirts and merchandise only has four.

Brentford were founded in 1889, as an offshoot of Brentford Rowing Club, and after a few years their nickname became “the Bees”. The club’s connection to wildlife was strengthened in 1904 when they moved to Griffin Park. The land they built the stadium on was, initially, leased from Fuller’s Brewery, who had used it as an orchard.

The town of Brentford was previously considered to be part of Middlesex, although it now falls under the jurisdiction of the London Borough of Hounslow, so the county’s coat of arms, which is a crown with three golden swords underneath, was a recurring theme on a lot of the club’s early designs. Bees were conspicuously absent.

The crest was updated with a red and white quadrant in the 1960s and this is where bees are first properly recognised. The crown and golden swords were moved to the top left, while there was a hive in the bottom right. The Brentford Supporters’ Club badge during this period was a white circle with a golden bee set against a red backdrop. This simple concept influenced Article, the London-based design studio, who created the current version.

In 1972, the club decided to update their badge again and they invited fans to take part in the process via a competition. This version bears the closest resemblance to their new badge, yet it was scrapped after just three years. Although it looked pretty, the club’s founding date was incorrectly put down as 1888.

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Brentford adopted a completely new look in 1975 that resembled a castle and it has made a comeback on the away kit they will wear for the next two years. The design is a reference to the 1929-30 season when the club won all of their 21 league matches at Griffin Park.

The bee made a brief cameo for Brentford’s centenary celebrations in 1989 before their badge was overhauled again in 1993. The quadrant returned, in a design from supporter Andrew Henning, with a hive and two bees in the top-right corner while the Middlesex coat of arms was back, after a 21-year absence, on the bottom left.

It incorporated all of the core elements that define the club, but it was too cluttered. The black ‘Founded 1889’ text is difficult to read over the red and white stripes, while ‘Football Club’ is in a bigger font size. The club conducted an independent survey of football fans and discovered their badge was “significantly less recognisable than other London teams”. If you’re trying to grow as a brand, it’s critical you stand out. It was essential Brentford came up with a modern, slick design to reflect how much they have dramatically evolved since Matthew Benham became the owner in 2012.

The club held consultations with fan groups, members of staff and other key stakeholders, including Benham, over an 18-month period before they revealed their new design in 2016. The coat of arms has been removed, allowing for the bee to take centre stage. It would have been slightly peculiar to keep the crown and three swords when Brentford is no longer officially in Middlesex. The actual design is bright and bold, which means we are willing to ignore the fact the bee is missing two legs.

When Brentford moved to the Gtech Community Stadium in September 2020, real estate developer EcoWorld London became the owners of Griffin Park. As part of the deal, they intend to honour the club’s heritage and bees will have a prominent role in their plans.

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EcoWorld has permission to build up to 75 homes on the site but shared an updated proposal last year to create 149 properties in total. Their aim was to have a 500-square-metre memorial garden in the middle of the development, but that has been upgraded to a 1,770-square-metre park that members of the community will be able to access. If they receive permission for the new plans, around 50 trees will be planted in the park.

According to the company’s website, “biodiverse planting will be specially chosen to provide habitats for wildlife, including pollinating bee populations,” which links nicely back to the club’s badge. There are even proposals to have a “reflective area”, based exactly where the football pitch’s centre circle was, called “The Hive”.

(Top illustration: Sam Richardson)