FC Bayern München, founded in 1900, is a German football club based in Munich. Its crest is a red circular badge with a white and blue diamond pattern at the center, a motif drawn from the flag of Bavaria. The club’s official name, “FC Bayern München,” appears in the red ring surrounding the diamonds.
Design and History
The first club emblem was adopted in January 1901, based on a design by Karl Köpplin, a player and captain of the early team. The design was documented in the club’s 25-year chronicle, which records that “a design submitted by Köpplin was accepted as the first club badge of F.C. Bayern” in January 1901. This earliest mark was rediscovered in 2025 on a team photograph from the Munich City Archive, showing Köpplin wearing the badge on his shirt. It consisted of the letters F, C, M and B, representing “Fußball-Club München-Bayern.” [1]
Early club colors were blue and white, reflecting the colors of Bavaria. In 1906, following a merger with the Münchener Sport-Club, the club adopted red and white as its colors, though blue remained present in the badge through the Bavarian diamond pattern. [2]
The Bavarian diamonds first appeared in the crest in 1920, when a red circular badge with the white and blue lozenge pattern was introduced. [3] The crest took its current round form in 1966, when the design became essentially the one used today: a red circle with a double white and red border, the club name in an arc, and an inner circle of white and blue diamonds. [4]
In 2002, the letters “e.V.” (for “eingetragener Verein,” meaning registered association) were removed from the crest, leaving only “FC Bayern München” in the ring. [5] The club made further refinements in 2017, when the design department chose a darker blue and warmer red. [5]
In October 2024, FC Bayern slightly modified the crest again, brightening both the red and blue shades to improve contrast and digital accessibility. The club stated it had “modernised the entire colour palette of its brand identity” to comply with the new German Web Content Accessibility Law (BFSG), which took effect in June 2025. The change was the first adjustment to the crest since 2017. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The white and blue diamond pattern in the center of the crest is a direct reference to the flag of Bavaria. The club’s statutes instructed that the colors of the Bavarian flag be used in the emblem, and the founders established white shirts and blue shorts as the original kit. [2] The diamond motif has remained a constant element of the badge even as the club’s primary colors shifted to red and white after 1906. [2]
Typography and Design
The crest’s red ring carries the club name in capital letters, with “FC Bayern” in the upper arc and “München” in the lower arc. The 2024 update adjusted the contrast between the text and background colors to make the lettering more legible for people with visual impairments, in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines requirements. [6]
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