To celebrate being nominated for four Transform Awards, we’re shining a spotlight on our work with Oxford United.
Football branding has undergone a rapid shift. Clubs are now global lifestyle brands, competing not just on the pitch but in culture, commerce, and entertainment. For many supporters, a crest or kit is as much about identity and pride as it is about football.
Yet the risk in modernisation is alienation: fans expect tradition to be respected even as brands evolve.
At LoveGunn, we thrive on this delicate balancing act. When Oxford United approached us, they were returning to the Championship with ambitions for greater success. They recognised the need to refresh their identity to engage new audiences while safeguarding the authenticity and heritage that define the club.
This is the story of how we helped position the club as a symbol of ambition, excellence, and community pride.
Oxford United faced a complex challenge. The previous brand identity lacked the ambition and flexibility to reflect the club's vision for growth. It struggled to convey the purpose of empowering fans and staff beyond matchday or signal the excellence needed to attract high-value partners.
The brief was clear but demanding: evolve the brand into something aspirational and flexible while still feeling immediately and recognisably 'Oxford United'. We needed to retain beloved elements like the yellow-and-blue palette and the connection to the city while ensuring the identity could thrive across digital platforms, retail, and global markets.
Our strategy was not a revolution but an evolution - a modern brand built firmly on heritage.
We anchored the rebrand in a bold ambition: to position the club as more than a football team and demonstrate its commitment to empowering people and generations to achieve their goals. This crystallised into the guiding philosophy: "Dream. Inspire".
This philosophy acts as a north star, designed to empower ambition and help supporters, players, and staff realise their potential. We operationalised this through distinct pillars:
The visual system was crafted to reflect this mission. At the heart of the evolution was the club crest. Rather than treating it as a static emblem, we developed a new motif system that flexes across contexts - retaining heritage for traditional supporters while unlocking new expressions for culture and commerce.
Oxford’s globally recognised spires inspired the graphic system, acting as a bridge between history and aspiration. This allowed us to create a flexible, future-facing system that can be interpreted across the club, from the stadium to streetwear.
We turned kits into cultural artefacts. The home shirt broke 24-hour sales records in just four hours. The 'On The Road' away kit outsold every previous away shirt in 180 minutes.
The coordinated execution ensured maximum impact, turning brand strategy into tangible commercial and cultural results:
By embedding its mission into every touchpoint, Oxford United has redefined itself as a club that inspires ambition, supports wellbeing, and celebrates creativity.
Check out the full Oxford United case study HERE
Looking to evolve your sports brand without losing your heritage? Contact LoveGunn today to discuss how we can help you build cultural currency and commercial growth.
To celebrate being nominated for four Transform Awards, we’re shining a spotlight on our work with Oxford United.
Football branding has undergone a rapid shift. Clubs are now global lifestyle brands, competing not just on the pitch but in culture, commerce, and entertainment. For many supporters, a crest or kit is as much about identity and pride as it is about football.
Yet the risk in modernisation is alienation: fans expect tradition to be respected even as brands evolve.
At LoveGunn, we thrive on this delicate balancing act. When Oxford United approached us, they were returning to the Championship with ambitions for greater success. They recognised the need to refresh their identity to engage new audiences while safeguarding the authenticity and heritage that define the club.
This is the story of how we helped position the club as a symbol of ambition, excellence, and community pride.
Oxford United faced a complex challenge. The previous brand identity lacked the ambition and flexibility to reflect the club's vision for growth. It struggled to convey the purpose of empowering fans and staff beyond matchday or signal the excellence needed to attract high-value partners.
The brief was clear but demanding: evolve the brand into something aspirational and flexible while still feeling immediately and recognisably 'Oxford United'. We needed to retain beloved elements like the yellow-and-blue palette and the connection to the city while ensuring the identity could thrive across digital platforms, retail, and global markets.
Our strategy was not a revolution but an evolution - a modern brand built firmly on heritage.
We anchored the rebrand in a bold ambition: to position the club as more than a football team and demonstrate its commitment to empowering people and generations to achieve their goals. This crystallised into the guiding philosophy: "Dream. Inspire".
This philosophy acts as a north star, designed to empower ambition and help supporters, players, and staff realise their potential. We operationalised this through distinct pillars:
The visual system was crafted to reflect this mission. At the heart of the evolution was the club crest. Rather than treating it as a static emblem, we developed a new motif system that flexes across contexts - retaining heritage for traditional supporters while unlocking new expressions for culture and commerce.
Oxford’s globally recognised spires inspired the graphic system, acting as a bridge between history and aspiration. This allowed us to create a flexible, future-facing system that can be interpreted across the club, from the stadium to streetwear.
We turned kits into cultural artefacts. The home shirt broke 24-hour sales records in just four hours. The 'On The Road' away kit outsold every previous away shirt in 180 minutes.
The coordinated execution ensured maximum impact, turning brand strategy into tangible commercial and cultural results:
By embedding its mission into every touchpoint, Oxford United has redefined itself as a club that inspires ambition, supports wellbeing, and celebrates creativity.
Check out the full Oxford United case study HERE
Looking to evolve your sports brand without losing your heritage? Contact LoveGunn today to discuss how we can help you build cultural currency and commercial growth.
