England Cricket’s New Brand: Unifying Teams and Reflecting a “Dynamic Era”
To attract new fans, England Cricket has launched a unified brand identity for its men’s, women’s, and disability teams. The refreshed look, a partnership between the ECB’s team and agency Matta, is rolling out across all platforms and merchandise this summer.
The rebranding is a response to the “Bazball” era of aggressive play from the men’s Test team, which just completed a widely acclaimed series against India. ECB marketing director Jen Vile notes, “We wanted to make sure we had an England brand that reflects this moment in time,” citing the women’s team’s upcoming home World Cup and the increased visibility of disability cricket.
We’re in an incredibly exciting time for England cricket
England Cricket is rolling out a new brand identity this summer, designed to appeal to new audiences. The refreshed look, a collaboration between the ECB’s in-house team and agency Matta, unifies the men’s, women’s, and disability teams under one cohesive visual identity.
The move is partly inspired by the men’s team’s dynamic “Bazball” style of play, following their nail-biting Test series against India. According to ECB marketing director Jen Vile, the new brand reflects an “incredibly exciting time” for English cricket, with the women’s team preparing for a home World Cup and the disability teams gaining increasing profile.
England Cricket’s New Brand: A Design Inspired by the Game Itself
The rebranding journey for England Cricket began with a massive consultation, gathering feedback from fans, players, and coaching staff. This comprehensive approach was essential for creating a new identity that could unite all of England’s national teams.
One of the main challenges was building a consistent brand with enough flexibility to serve three different teams—men’s, women’s, and disability—across three distinct formats: Test, limited-overs, and T20. As Matta’s executive creative director, Matt Campbell, explained, “The visual language for the women’s Test team is slightly different from the men’s T20, versus the disability limited-overs.” This required a sophisticated “matrix structure” to ensure each team and format retained a unique feel while remaining part of the larger brand.
The design system draws its inspiration directly from the technical side of cricket. It pulls from the geometry of the pitch itself, including the field and the central wicket, as well as the famous wagon wheel diagrams used to visualize player performances. Campbell noted that cricket’s rich history of infographics provided plenty of ideas to build on.
Balancing Data and Emotion: The Lion’s Roar as a Brand Motif
While the design drew from cricket’s technical side, the team aimed to balance this with a more emotional element. Matt Campbell noted they were “missing an element of passion, pride, and energy” from both players and fans.
Inspired by the lion on the crest, the brand team developed a visual representation of a lion’s roar. This motif was built on the actual sound wave created by a roar. The visual changes depending on the format: it’s used formally for Test cricket graphics and with more “explosive energy” for T20.
The brand’s tone of voice also adapts to different contexts. The team created a “tones of one voice” document, described by Campbell as a “graphic equalizer” that can be adjusted. This approach ensures overall cohesion while allowing the language to flex for each team’s specific goals. For instance, the men’s team’s tone is more heritage-conscious, the women’s is more celebratory, and the disability teams’ language includes an educational layer to highlight skill, not just participation.
