Game on: BOND’s rebrand for Veikkausliiga prepares the Finnish football league for its next chapter

If you’ve gone to even a single football game, you’ve most probably noticed a very familiar scene – a fan holding a scarf aloft in joy in the electrifying moments after a goal, or perhaps draping it over their shoulders like armour before kickoff. The scarf, a universal symbol of football fandom, became the central motif in BOND’s rebrand for the Finnish football league, Veikkausliiga. “The scarf represents passion, unity, and pride – core emotions tied to Veikkausliiga and its fans,” Creative Director Nils Kajander tells us. “It brings people together, both physically and symbolically. Whether worn around the neck or raised in the air, it’s deeply connected to football culture. Since the original logo also featured a fan holding a scarf, it felt natural to continue from there.” Instead of abandoning the league’s visual history, the team at BOND decided to lean into it, picking up the elements and sharpening them. The logo, for example, was tweaked tastefully to bring it back with new energy. “The updated symbol keeps the essence of the original design – a fan holding a scarf – but it’s been modernised into a more abstract and simplified form. More primitive,” says Founder & Chief Design Officer Jesper Bange. “The new logo distils the concept into a geometric abstraction, making it minimalistic and sleek while still conveying the emotional connection between fans and the league. Some may also notice hints of football pitch markings, symbolising emotion both on and off the pitch.” Cleverly, the scarf in the logo has been designed to adapt to the colours of each of Veikkausliiga’s 12 clubs, allowing each club to own the symbol, all while making it feel personal. The colours, in turn, bring the logo to life, “just like the energy in a stadium. The palette also reflects the emotional highs and lows of football, capturing the essence of the new promise, ‘This is how Veikkausliiga feels like.’ Especially against a black background, they shine like stadium lights on an autumn night,” says Bange.