Much has been said about the recent Barclays Women’s Super League and Championship (now WSL2) by Women’s Super League Football (WSL Football) rebrand. And if online reaction is anything to go by, the consensus is clear: it’s not a great look for the competitions.
Back in November, WSL Football announced a partnership with the agency Anomaly. According to its website, the agency’s name reflects its mission:
“Anomaly is a response to the widespread recognition in the industry that the models are all broken and the traditional solutions are all becoming less and less effective… From the company’s inception, we realised intuitively that, in order to succeed, we need to create something that was, literally, an Anomaly—a deviation from the norm.”
Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form or rule.
It all reads a bit like something you’d hear during a pitch on The Apprentice.
Women’s football has long positioned itself as a movement distinct from the men’s game—one that champions inclusivity, equity, and sustainability. That mission deserves both respect and support. So, on paper, a collaboration with a disruptive, purpose-driven agency like Anomaly seems like a natural fit.
At the launch of the rebrand, WSL Football stated, “To coincide with the name changes, WSL Football has launched a new brand identity born from the movement of female footballers, signalling the start of a new era and a dynamic new look for the women’s game.
The visual identity, developed with the creative agency Anomaly, includes living emblems, colour systems, and league and company word marks inspired by on-pitch movement and insight courtesy of EA SPORTS.
Alongside new colour systems—developed to give each league a unique yet complementary identity—WSL Football’s new visual world aims to capture the power and athleticism of the players and reflect the distinct nature of today’s women’s football.”
Clara Mulligan, Anomaly’s Managing Partner and Head of Design, added:
“As a long-time football fan, having the chance to create the future of women’s football is the absolute brief of dreams and a career highlight.
The new brand identity is inspired by the athleticism and movement of female footballers – we’ve created a brand that is built for motion and captures the true spirit of the game.
And we never would have got there without the close collaboration with the team at WSL Football, the support and guidance from fans, players, and clubs, and the heart and passion from everyone involved.”
Now, I’m no branding expert, but I do know what I like—and I don’t like this. The repeated references to “movement” are nicely visualised in the promotional video, but beyond that, the concept all but disappears.
Given the lovely sunset tones and circular logo of the new WSL branding, you’d be forgiven for thinking that someone at Anomaly misread the brief and created the branding for the World Surfing League – a genuine thing, Google it.
But don’t just take my word for it—we spoke with graphic designer Angelo Tirotto to get his expert perspective.
From a graphic design perspective and 33 years in the industry, the WSL Football logo has several issues:
Not Iconic: A good logo should be instantly recognisable even at a glance or in monochrome. This logo lacks distinctive features that make it memorable or iconic.
Outdated Aesthetic: The swoosh design with gradient colours (purple to orange) feels reminiscent of early 2000s design trends. This style can appear dated and lacks the modern, minimalist look that many contemporary sports brands adopt for timeless appeal.
Disconnected Elements and Top-Heavy Balance: The abstract swirl dominates the logo, making the typography seem like an afterthought. The weight distribution is off, with the visual mass too concentrated at the top and the symbol and text don’t integrate well. They feel like two separate parts, rather than a cohesive whole.
Colour Clash: The gradient colour scheme, while vibrant, doesn’t harmonise well. Purple and orange can be jarring together without a clear transition or complementary palette, making the logo feel chaotic rather than cohesive.
Scalability and Versatility: The intricate lines in the swirl design may not scale well across different mediums, especially in smaller sizes. For example, in print, on video, on social media, as online logos, icons, merch or embroidered patches. The gradient might become muddy, and the swoosh could lose detail, reducing legibility and impact.
Typography Issues: The “WSL” typography looks overly stylised with inconsistent line thickness and strange curves (especially the “W”). This reduces legibility and looks amateurish. The bold, italicised font for “WSL” paired with the plain “FOOTBALL” creates a disconnect. The two typefaces don’t complement each other, leading to a lack of visual unity. Additionally, the font style feels generic and doesn’t convey the dynamism or professionalism expected of a sports league.
Symbolism and Relevance: The swoosh design doesn’t clearly tie into football or the WSL’s identity. It feels abstract and generic, missing an opportunity to incorporate elements that reflect the sport or the league’s unique values. Football is a high-energy, emotional sport, this logo feels cold, corporate, and generic—more like a tech or fintech startup than a football league.
No Gender Cue: There is no visual indication or empowerment theme that reflects women in sports.
Branding Consistency: The logo doesn’t project a strong, unified brand identity. Modern sports logos often aim for simplicity and memorability (e.g., Premier League’s lion), but this design feels overly complex and lacks a focal point that ties it to the WSL’s mission or audience.
Lastly, the logo struggles with cohesion, modernity, and versatility, which are critical for a strong sports brand identity. A redesign focusing on simplicity, relevant symbolism, and a unified colour scheme could better serve the WSL.
In 2018, the FA rebrand was a huge success; it successfully gave each division a clear identity while maintaining a cohesive, unified look across the board. Designed by Nomad, their aim was to bring women’s football together. The new designs have merely united fans with their joint disapproval.
Partner and creative director at Nomad, Terry Stephens, said, “We wanted to create something that didn’t look like a traditional football or sports brand, so we deliberately steered away from silhouettes of women, footballs and things like that,” he says. “It’s about creating something that girls would aspire to have on a t-shirt or school bag.”
Moving back to the rebrand, I’ve had similar feelings of disappointment about the Adobe Women’s FA Cup branding. Given that Adobe is an industry leader in design and the FA Cup is arguably the most prestigious domestic competition in women’s football, the quality of the visuals simply doesn’t do either justice. That’s disappointing, and frankly, it cheapens the product.
The agency producing the rebrand is likely being paid handsomely. Meanwhile, some of the most talented independent designers are still waiting for their big break. Just look at the outstanding work created by Portsmouth-based studio I Love Dust for Nike. Now that’s bold, fresh, and iconic branding and a company that WSL Football should be aligning with.
We will probably get used to it, just like we eventually accepted Opal Fruits becoming Starburst, or Lilt fading into Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit. But this feels like a missed opportunity to create something timeless, something that transcends football and embeds itself into the public consciousness.
