FC Rubin Kazan is a Russian football club based in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The club’s visual identity is built around the Zilant, a winged serpent-dragon that serves as the historical symbol of Kazan, and the green, white and red colors of the Tatarstan flag.
Design and History
The current Rubin Kazan crest is a heraldic shield featuring the Zilant dragon, the club name, the city name and the founding year. The shield’s green, white and red contours form the flag of the Republic of Tatarstan. The Zilant is described by the club as the main style-forming element and the symbol of Kazan. [1]
The club has updated its logo several times in recent decades. In July 2012, Rubin introduced a new logo that replaced the emblem developed in 1997. The Zilant remained the main element but underwent stylistic changes. The new emblem was described as a stylized image of a ruby stone, executed in the club’s colors, and incorporated the Zilant, the club name, the city name and the founding year. The initiative for the new emblem reportedly came from club supporters through a competition on the club website. [2] [3]
In July 2016, Rubin presented a new logo at a fan festival in Kazan. It was developed by the company Sellout Sport System together with Kazan art director Artem Ermolaev. The new logo combined elements from the club’s first historical emblem, associated with the Kazan Aviation Enterprise named after Gorbunov, the 1996 emblem associated with the club’s most significant achievements, and a classic football from the time of the club’s founding. [1]
The 2016 logo was described as a full successor to the 1996 emblem, with a similar shield geometry and the same founding year, city and Zilant. The dragon’s head was made more aggressive, and the direction of its wings and tail were unified. This direction was reportedly set by a rocket from the club’s historical emblem, with nearly all straight lines of the mark passing at the same angle, making the Zilant more dynamic and attack-oriented. [1]
In an interview, Ermolaev explained that the task was to move away from the previous logo entirely while making an evolutionary rather than revolutionary step, since football branding is conservative and fans connect the emblem with the club’s victories. He noted that the previous logo was widely disliked by fans and others. The design process began in early spring 2016 and finished in mid-June. Ermolaev stated that the direction of the Zilant’s wing was based on the direction of an arrow from the club’s first Soviet-era logo, when the team was called Iskra. [4]
In July 2019, Rubin introduced another updated logo, described as the fifth change in seven years. The club detailed seven specific changes: the tilt of the Zilant’s head was changed so it looks “straight into the present”; a line for the protruding forehead was added and the eye changed; the head shape became more elongated with longer jaws to strengthen the resemblance to a dragon; the lower part of the dragon’s body was inscribed in a circle to resemble a football from 1958, the year of the club’s founding; the wings and tail were lengthened; the top of the shield became straight so the lettering above it would not be distorted; and the club’s custom font became more concise, smooth and stable. [5] [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Zilant, a mythical winged serpent-dragon, is the central element of the crest and serves as the symbol of Kazan. [1] The green, white and red contours of the shield form the flag of the Republic of Tatarstan, grounding the club in its regional identity. [1]
The club’s name “Rubin” means “Ruby” in Russian, and the primary color of the logo is described as ruby. In the 2019 update, the club stated that the Zilant would always be depicted in white regardless of the background, explaining that “white is purity, positivity, light.” The main color of the logo remained ruby, and the traditional green color was given a colder, more mature shade. [6] [7]
Typography and Design
For the 2016 logo, the main emphasis in creating the lettering for the club name was readability. The refined Archive font was used to allow the club name to be read easily from a distance without distracting from the Zilant as the main mark. [1]
The 2016 identity also introduced a dragon-scale pattern as a key style-forming element. The shape of each scale fully matches the shape of the new logo’s shield. This pattern was used in official club documentation, branded merchandise, tickets and season passes, and as a detail on the main playing kit for the 2016/17 season. [1]
In the 2019 update, the club’s custom font was made more concise, smooth and stable, with unnecessary breaks removed. The top of the shield was straightened so the lettering above it would remain straight and clear rather than distorted. [5] [6]
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