The Evolution of the AS Roma Logo

There are few cities in the world where identity holds as much gravity as Rome. It’s a place where history breathes through stone, where every street corner tells a story, and where loyalty isn’t an idea but a practice. In a city so steeped in myth and memory, symbols matter. They’re how Rome remembers itself.

Since 1927, AS Roma’s crest has done exactly that, carrying the city’s legend, its pride, and its people into every new era. The wolf and twins have become more than imagery; they’re an emblem of heritage, passed down like family silver. And as the years have reshaped football’s landscape, that crest has quietly held its own, weathering change while never losing its core.

At first glance, Roma’s logo evolution might seem like a story of design updates, shifting typography, simplified forms, cleaner lines. But look closer and you see something else: a masterclass in loyalty through design. A visual system that evolves not to reinvent, but to remember.

The original 1927 badge was classic Italian romanticism, ornate, illustrative, and steeped in narrative. The she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, founders of the city, framed within a heraldic shield. More than a football logo, this was civic iconography. The club, after all, was born from a merger intended to unite Rome’s smaller teams into a single, stronger force. The emblem needed to carry that symbolism.

In its earliest forms, the logo mirrored the art of the time. You could trace the influence of Roman sculpture, fresco, and even Fascist-era monumentality. It was bold, expressive, and detailed,  the kind of mark that declared a worldview. Football was becoming identity, and Roma’s crest made that official.

The 1960s and ’70s introduced modernism to sport. Logos grew flatter, typography bolder, and simplicity became the new prestige. Roma followed suit, experimenting with condensed type and cleaner shapes while holding onto its palette of deep red and golden yellow, tones pulled from the city’s flag.

Then came the 1978 redesign by Piero Gratton, which would become one of the most distinctive in football history. Out went the mythic wolf scene. In came Lupa Capitolina reduced to its essence: a geometric she-wolf rendered in orange and red, minimal and modern, yet unmistakably Roman. Known affectionately as “La Lupa” the mark became a cult classic and a piece of Italian graphic history now revered as much as the football it adorned.

That period reflected a broader cultural confidence in Italy. Brands like Olivetti, Fiat, and Alitalia were exporting design as national identity. Roma’s badge felt part of that conversation. It was no longer just about sport.

In 1997, the club reverted to a more traditional crest. The illustrative wolf and twins returned, framed within the iconic shield. It was a visual homecoming and one that balanced nostalgia with modernity. 

When the 2013 update arrived, it sparked debate. The design, created internally, was refined and digitally sharp. “ASR” was dropped in favour of the word ROMA, and “1927” was reintroduced beneath it. The she-wolf became sculptural, redrawn with a confident sense of proportion. Critics accused the club of sanitising a symbol that was meant to feel raw. Yet, in truth, the redesign achieved what few modern rebrands manage: it honoured tradition while accepting the needs of a new medium.

While other clubs leaned into glossy futurism or marketing-led minimalism, Roma’s badge remained grounded in story. Every adjustment has been a refinement, not a reinvention. Even when commercial forces or global audiences pressured change, the club never severed its ties to myth. The wolf remained. The twins remained. The feeling remained.

That continuity is why Roma’s crest still holds emotional weight. Fans see the badge and see themselves. It’s identity encoded in design.

In 2025, AS Roma officially re-introduced the intertwined “ASR” monogram and returned the wolf to a more expressive, detailed rendering, reading not like a shake-up, but like truth coming home.

Design trends may shift with every season, but identity, when built on story and loyalty, always tastes timeless.

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