Following in the footsteps of world number 2 tennis star Roger Federer and his ubiquitous “RF”, our very own Andy Murray now has his very own logo, which will no doubt become one of the most popular tattoos at this year's Wimbledon. The logo was designed by the Aesop agency, and will initially appear on Murray's own equipment and shirts before being rolled out across a broad range of branded consumer apparel and accessories later in the year.
This is the second time the consultancy has worked with Murray, as they previously designed the brand identity for his Seventy Seven management company. That logo resembled a pair of interlocking 7s, and it would appear Aesop have taken a similar route with Murray's personal logo, which sees his initials interlocked to form a simple, elegant brand and also includes elements of the 77 design. It will be officially unveiled at this Australian Open next week (in begins on January 19) and has been launched to coincide with the announcement of Murray's new sponsor, the America sportswear brand Under Armour, who take the reigns from Adidas.
This is the second time Aesop has worked with Murray, as they previously designed the brand identity for his Seventy Seven management company
According to Aesop design director Dan Calderwood, the design, which will officially be owned by Under Armour, and is not tied to strict guidelines, can be read either as a single M, as Murray's initials or as the number 77. The number references not only Murray's management company, but also the fact that Murray's 2013 Wimbledon win marked the first time a British man had won the tournament in 77 years and that the win occurred on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year. The logo appears to have been well received thus far, with a poll conducted by Brand Republic revealing that 70% of users approved of the design.
According to Calderwood, they wanted to “Create a modern mark that captures Andy’s energy and spirit while subtly referencing his affinity with the number 77,” which Murray himself was quite keen on including, as well as his initials. He calls the design “Simple and striking, with heraldic cues that echo (Murray's) dominance on the court.” Concerning how they struck upon the final concept, he added that “The styling had to be athletic and striking,” so it was a case of “Combining (the initials) and making a 77 that was discoverable,” which was accomplished with some “Nice angles and the shard effect.”
“We wanted to create a modern mark that captures Andy’s energy and spirit while subtly referencing his affinity with the number 77” Dan Calderwood
In related news, it was announced last week that #6 in the worldm Murray will join Federer and the #1, Novak Djokovic, at next month’s Dubai Tennis Championships. The Scot lost to Federer in the 2012 final on his most recent appearance at the tournament, which begins on February 23.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK who actually met Andy Murray once. Contrary to popular belief, he was actually rather pleasant!
