Harlequins, officially Harlequin Football Club, is a professional rugby union club based in London, England. The club’s visual identity is built around a masked harlequin figure, a reference to the character from the Italian commedia dell’arte, rendered in the club’s distinctive multi-coloured palette. The emblem has remained remarkably consistent since the club’s founding in the 19th century, with changes limited primarily to the elements surrounding the central figure.
Design and History
The club was founded in 1866 as Hampstead Football Club and was renamed Harlequin in 1870. According to the club’s digital archives, the name change was made to retain the previously created “HFC” monogram mark, with the word “Harlequin” found in a dictionary and agreed upon by those present [1]. The club’s official history, “Nunquam Dormio: 150 Years of Harlequins,” documents this heritage [2].
The central emblem depicts a harlequin figure wearing a mask and a costume in the club colours, with crossed legs, bending a sword or foil over his head with both hands [3]. The logo has barely changed since its origin, with the main modifications coming from what surrounded it. In the 1980s, the harlequin was placed inside a shield; at the end of that decade, the club motto was added; and in the mid-1990s, the team name was incorporated [3].
The club’s official colours are listed as light blue, magenta, chocolate, French grey, light green and black [4]. The flag, like the jerseys, is quartered into sky blue, dark magenta, chocolate and grey, with the masked harlequin above, whose dress shows the flag colours plus the green and black of the jersey sleeves [5].
Meaning and Symbolism
The club motto, “Nunquam Dormio,” is Latin for “I never sleep,” a reference to always being vigilant rather than to insomnia [3]. The motto was added to the crest at the end of the 1980s [3]. The harlequin figure itself derives from the commedia dell’arte character, chosen when the club needed a new name that preserved its “HFC” initials [1].
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
