The FEF (Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol), Ecuador’s national football federation, unveiled a completely new visual identity on January 13, 2020, during a ceremony at the Casa de la Selección in Quito. The redesign was presented alongside the federation’s Strategic Plan 2019-2030 and marked a decisive break from the previous crest, which had been in use since 1924.[1]
Design and History
The previous FEF emblem, used since 1924, featured a tricolor shield with an Andean condor with open wings.[1] The condor, Ecuador’s national bird, had appeared on the federation’s badge since 1959.[2] The 2020 redesign abandoned the traditional triangular shield format entirely.[3]
The new logo is a dark blue shield with the letters “FEF” in gold. The colors of the Ecuadorian flag (yellow, blue, and red) appear as rectangular blocks at the top of the shield, outlined in the same gold tone.[4] The federation and the national team share the same logo, distinguished only by the text at the bottom: “FEF” for the federation and “ECU” for the national team.[5]
The rebranding was created by the Guayaquil-based advertising agency Chola Ad, with the project taking five months and involving 30 designers who developed more than ten proposals.[5] Dante Rosetto, principal of Chola Ad, was credited as the creator of the new crest.[6] Rosetto noted that the previous shield used the same colors as two other South American national teams, and the agency sought to give Ecuador its own distinct identity.[6]
The redesign generated significant public debate in Ecuador. A poll conducted by the firm Click Report in Quito and Guayaquil in late January 2020 found that 54.7% of respondents disliked the new logo, while 33.4% approved of it.[7] Fans also drew comparisons between the new emblem and the faces of the Transformers franchise, a comparison the FEF itself embraced on social media.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
Although the condor was removed as a standalone element, it was not eliminated entirely. The bird is abstractly incorporated into the “FEF” letterforms, with the letters’ strokes suggesting the condor with open wings.[5] Graphic design experts described the mark as “a well-constructed abstraction between the letters that form the FEF acronym and the strokes that resemble the usual condor with open wings.”[8]
The design incorporates additional elements from Ecuadorian pre-Columbian cultures. The “U” shape at the bottom of the shield represents the Umiña seat of the Manteña culture, while the letterforms also reference the facial painting of the Shuar people.[9][10] The FEF itself published a video detailing that the lower curve represents the Manteña culture’s Umiña seat.[11]
Typography and Design
The typography accompanying the crest is Darwin Pro, a sans serif typeface designed by Luciano Vergara and published by Los Andes Type. The FEF commissioned it as an exclusive typeface for Ecuafútbol.[8][12] The federation also presented a brand usage manual alongside the new logo.[8]
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