“Legacy meets contemporary”: Karl Anders on its campaign for Red Star FC

If you know your football, you’ll know a bit about Red Star FC and the rich history behind the second oldest club in France. Though it has spent much of its time under semi-pro status, the club, founded back in 1897 by Jules Rimet, is known today for its left-wing ideals and antifascist support network. Incidentally, the club is also sponsored by Vice, proudly displaying the independent publishing company’s logo on its jerseys. Identifying itself as a banlieue working class club (banlieue being a suburb of the French capital), Red Star FC is often perceived as one of the most interesting football clubs in the league due to its staunch political allegiance and traditional sporting values.

Tasked with the compelling brief to design Red Star FC’s campaign this season, creative studio Karl Anders was challenged to visually spur on the club in the face of its recent relegation. Wholly embracing the challenge ahead of them, the Paris-based studio welcomed the project, embracing the club’s community-based spirit to create a meaningful design for its fans and players. Founded in Hamburg in 2011, the studio recently launched its Paris division headed up by Lars Kreyenhagen. And presented with its (very dreamy) first client, Red Star FC, the studio attacked this season’s 360 degree campaign Bauer Power with a number of striking visual statements.

As St. Pauli fans, Lars and his colleagues have a lot in common with the Red Star FC supporters: “Purpose, community and a genuine, alternative football club,” Lars tells It’s Nice That. Lars and his team were determined to create a campaign which acknowledges the club’s rich history, which extends far beyond the borders of France, but also bring new elements of modernity to the brand. “A legacy like this must be handled sensitively,” adds Lars. And opting to keep Red Star FC’s old colours and logo, the designers wanted to “build a new world” around the already established features, devising a new visual system and overall colour way to bring the club’s identity into a new era.

The contemporary meets legacy in Karl Anders’ rebrand of the club. Naming the project after Red Star FC’s old stadium, Bauer, the designers wanted to honour the venue before it is rebuilt. But above all, the primary impetus behind the new rebrand involves creating an exciting and inspiring campaign to push the team back up to the second division. In turn, the designers tap into the club’s fervent fan mentality, injecting “BauerPower” across all the visuals. It’s the BauerPower “that makes the team so strong in their home games,” comments Lars on the unique community behind the Paris team.

Consequently, the design incorporates the stadium’s architecture, bold lettering and colour palette in the new campaign. Channeling the power of the fans through energetic visuals, BauerPower is a bold statement in both sporting and artistry terms. “Notre coeur, Notre force,” exerts Lars. “That’s the feeling that makes the club so special. We want to build a bridge between players and fans to become one powerful team. The fans are the 12 men on the field.”