Bars Kazan (Russian: «Барс») is a Russian professional ice hockey club from Kazan that competes in the Supreme Hockey League (VHL) and serves as the farm club for the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan organization.[1] The club was founded in 2009 and has played in the VHL since the 2014-15 season.[2]
Design and History
Bars Kazan’s visual identity is directly tied to its parent club, Ak Bars Kazan. The name “Bars” derives from the same Tatar word for snow leopard that inspired the Ak Bars name, creating a linguistic connection between the two organizations.[2] The club’s logo features a snow leopard, matching the imagery of the main team, stylized in the club colors of green, white, and red.[2]
In March 2022, Ak Bars Kazan unveiled a new official logo and brand identity, developed by the design studio Quberten.[3] The new emblem replaced the previous mark that had been in use since 1995 and features a white snow leopard on a shield shaped like a tulip, one of the main symbols of Tatarstan.[4] The redesign was applied across the Ak Bars organization, including its VHL affiliate Bars Kazan, which shares the parent club’s visual system.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The snow leopard is the central figure in the Bars Kazan identity, mirroring the symbol used by the parent Ak Bars club.[2] The 2022 redesign incorporated the tulip-shaped shield, a traditional Tatar cultural motif, to reinforce regional identity.[3] The emblem is rendered in the traditional club colors of green, white, and red, with the addition of a gray tone corresponding to the natural coloring of snow leopards.[4] A monochrome white version of the leopard was also created for use on different backgrounds.[6]
Typography and Design
Alongside the new emblem, Ak Bars introduced a custom lettering design for player names and numbers, incorporating a recognizable Tatar ornament pattern.[6] The studio also developed an alternative emblem in the shape of a leopard paw that echoes the tulip form.[6] According to Mikhail Antipin, art director at Quberten, the design process took about six months, with early versions featuring a closed leopard mouth that was later revised to include a subtle snarl, balanced so as not to appear intimidating for children’s merchandise.[6]
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