Design of Anniversary Symbol and Main Visual for the J.League’s 30th Anniversary

The J30 anniversary symbol reflects the J.League’s design principles of Fair, Progressive, and Vivid.

The J.League is effectively a national institution that unites all 60 of Japan’s professional soccer clubs. Accordingly, we carefully considered multiple design proposals, focusing on readability and ease of communication without favoring any one club.

After much trial and error, the J30 symbol was born. It’s intended to act as a watchword that sparks a spirit of partnership among players, clubs, fans, supporters, and everyone involved with the J.League. Additionally, it aims to serve as a touchpoint for those who, because of the 30th anniversary, find themselves engaging with the league for the very first time. In this way, it functions as a symbol connecting the J.League to the future.

In terms of design, we stripped away as many elements as possible to ensure the symbol could be used by every club without looking out of place. The lettering is arranged to echo the shape of the J.League logo and is the black, white, and red logo’s dominant color of black, which expresses neutrality as it doesn’t overlap the colors of any of the clubs.

The J.League’s official mascot, J.League King, first appeared as a giant balloon during the opening ceremony of the league’s inaugural match at the National Stadium on May 15, 1993. Since then, J.League King has been a beloved mascot watching over the J.League’s journey.

Reflecting the major shift toward digital art over the past 30 years, we fleshed out J.League King’s previous two-dimensional incarnation into three dimensions for the memorial year of 2023. The new design isn’t just an update; it’s crafted to evoke even more affection by incorporating the tradition of the league’s 30-year history and the warmth one expects a mascot to exude.