Watford Football Club’s crest is built around a hart, a male red deer, whose head appears in profile on a shield-shaped badge. The symbol ties the club to Hertfordshire, the county where Watford is located, and has been the central element of the club’s identity since the late 1970s.
Design and History
Watford’s visual identity has included several different emblems over the decades. The first badge worn by the club, introduced in 1952, contained a hart’s head, and the crest featuring the hart’s head adorned programmes, handbooks and other literature from 1953/54.[1] The club later introduced a crest depicting a hornet, reflecting the club’s nickname, and in 1974 the design was changed to depict Harry the Hornet, the club’s mascot.[2]
In 1978, the hornet crest was replaced by a depiction of a hart on a yellow and black background.[2] The change reflected the naming of the first part of Hertfordshire, the county where Watford is located.[2] The current badge design has existed in one form or another for nearly fifty years, and it was originally designed just around the corner from the club.[3] An adaptation of that design, with a wider top bar and omitting the ball and letter “W” from above, was worn from the start of the 1978/79 season on the shirt.[3]
In 2019, the club launched a fan-led process to redesign the crest, inviting supporters to submit designs and vote on a replacement. After sorting through more than 4,000 new designs, the club announced it would retain the current badge, with the final vote deciding the outcome by a 60/40 margin.[4] More than 25,000 Watford fans took part in the voting process.[5] The club noted that one of the 4,000 rejected designs would be used for retail and merchandising purposes, as it was never suitable as the club’s official badge.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The hart on the badge represents Hertfordshire, the county in which Watford is located.[2] The animal is a male red deer, and its use on the crest connects the club to the county’s heraldic tradition.[2] The badge’s yellow and black background reflects the club’s colours, which are also associated with the “Hornets” nickname that has remained in use even after the hornet imagery was removed from the crest.[2]
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