Herne Bay FC is delighted to announce the design of our new club Badge. Based on designs sent in from over 45 locals helped form a basis for our new identity which was put together by Owen Williams (Instagram @o_w_design, Twitter @owz_17) to help the club look more modern to supporters.

The badge holds 4 key elements that were shown by the badge designs sent in. Firstly the shield was a part of numerous designs and gives the badge a solid background, secondly the clock tower a key part of the Herne Bay beachfront it gives the badge a unique element, thirdly the Heron which has been a key figure to all of the club's badges and finally the waves to symbolize how close we as a club and town are to the sea.

Club chairman Stuart Fitchie said this on the finished product: “In late March, the Club released the exciting news that we would be rolling out a new club badge starting in the 20/21 season. We invited design ideas to be submitted from the local community with prizes available for the winning design. The response we received was overwhelming.
The standard of submissions was incredibly high, completely surpassing our expectations. It was a proud moment with entries ranging from primary school aged children to adults, signifying the first of many initiatives to bring the wider community closer together in the new era at Herne Bay Football Club.
A recurring theme in the submissions was the presence of the Heron and Clock Tower, so it became clear that people wanted these included in the new design. This led to our slogan for the campaign, “Modernising Traditions” Given so many designs had similar features, rather than selecting one individual design we felt we should include all designs represented on a tiered based reward system. As a result, all entrants will receive a goody bag as a thank you for their time and creativity. The rewards will range from family season tickets, club merchandise, individual match passes and mascot experiences.
Our excellent media team have been a driving force behind bringing the badge to reality. In conjunction with Owen Williams of OW Creative Design, we discussed the project and what we were looking to do. Owen was excited to be involved with genuine interest in helping create a new crest for a football club. Owen created CAD versions of all the hand drawn submissions, and we had several meetings going through development phases. Each phase focused on an area of the design, working on a outside-in model with the finer details coming at the end following a consultation process with stake holders at the club ranging from Directors to the HBFC Supporters Association. We are happy that the final design ticks all the boxes in terms of style, modernisation and practicality whilst keeping the traditional values of the club badge. This was fantastically encompassed within the release video produced by Stuellmer Creative.
We witnessed accelerated growth at the football club over the last year, until the global pandemic hit in March, and exceeded our targets both on and off the pitch. All leagues above ours are now being decided via Points Per Game averages and play-offs, which is exactly where we would have been for the first ever time had our league decided to follow suit. Like many businesses/organisations we have been severely affected, losing approx. 40-50K in revenue and more importantly losing a fantastic and well-earned opportunity for promotion up the football pyramid. Our sponsors and members have been fantastic during this period and we are very much looking forward to delivering success for them.
Our club re-brand coincides with the launch of our Junior Academy and the re-established partnership with Herne Bay Harriers, Youth and Wanderers grassroots clubs which will assist in our quest to develop and nurture local talent providing a club, and role models within it, to inspire this future generation.
Finally, keep a close eye on the club social media outlets for latest fixture updates, transfer news, 2020/21 commercial launch and more community initiatives that will be coming out in the coming weeks.”

Chief designer Owen Williams had this to say on his design: 'When Herne Bay got in touch about designing their new badge, it was a project I couldn't turn down. While the aim was to bring a new, modern look for the club, it was important to recognize where the club has come from and ensure that the design feels right. I started by looking at all the fan-submitted designs and it was clear the features that were important to the fans. I feel we have reached a final design that works in the modern world while taking inspiration from the past. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Herne Bay Football Club and I wish them all the best for the future.'

HBFCSA member Sam Robson stated this when he first saw the badge: 'I like the new badge! Smart and modern and keeps its ties with the old badge which is very good! I understand people don't like change but with everything going on in the club involving the academies and work being down around the ground the timing of the new badge is spot on!'

The club would like to thank all members of the local community who sent in designs earlier this year and we will be in contact with you all over the coming weeks through the email that you submitted with!