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Sign of the times
Following the recent passing of designer Piero Gratton, Champions Journal illustrator Osvaldo Casanova looks back at the impact of his much-loved Lupetto logo, which came to symbolise a golden era for Roma
WORDS Osvaldo Casanova
History
The jagged outline of a wolf cub’s head – mouth open – with one red eye giving the cartoon-like character a more menacing mien. The cub’s head is encircled by two red and yellow rings in a nod to tradition, but also as a radical step away from the past. It’s a simple, timeless design – but one that signified a revolution.
The Lupetto, as the wolf cub is known, was introduced by AS Roma at the start of the 1978/79 campaign, the badge the only alteration to the previous season’s home shirt. Like any sudden change, it opened up a rift. The younger generation embraced the innovation straight away; older fans found it hard to accept this emblem as their own.
Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest – and symbol of the city – featuring Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome, being suckled by a she-wolf. The new image cut to the heart of the question of identity and what a badge means to a club.
It was the work of Piero Gratton, who died in April, and his motif ushered in a new wave that left its mark across Italian and even European football. Gratton’s style was already well known to Italians (even if his name was not) through his graphic animations for state broadcaster Rai and the TG2 news logo, which I particularly love.
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
"Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city."
"Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest"
But there was no arguing with its impact – nor, perhaps, its inspiration. Check out the Houston Astros baseball team’s Tequila Sunrise jersey worn between 1975 and 1979. If, as for the Astros, the kit was a way for an ailing team to catch the eye, it worked. By the end of the first game to feature the Ghiacciolo shirt at the Stadio Olimpico, a 1-0 win against Juventus in December, fake replica kits were already being sold outside the ground. Not that it met with widespread approval. One newspaper described Roma as “undici ghiaccioli in campo” (11 ice lollies on the pitch) and the name stuck.
From a design perspective, the Lupetto is a perfect logo: high brand awareness, easy to reproduce and effective big or small. It came to symbolise a generation and a new decade for Roma, as well as for Italy as the nation stepped out of the dark 1970s and into the bright 1980s. Gratton’s work follows the same approach of all the great designers of his time: simple, clear ideas and a modern style, while never following a trend.
Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city.
Even though Roma fans successfully campaigned to change the logo and bring back the traditional crest in 1997, the Lupetto remains beloved and has frequently adorned kits since then; in fact, it is expected to be back on the away shirt for the 2020/21 campaign. The wolf cub is alive and kicking. It is vintage, part of the club’s heritage and intrinsic to those glory years of the early 1980s.
Fans love tradition. However, sometimes the tradition they cherish today was once a controversial symbol of the ‘modern game’. Perhaps that’s because ‘modern football’ never stands still; even the most fractious changes become smoothed into the realm of memory.
Additional reporting by Michael Harrold
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
The Lupetto, as the wolf cub is known, was introduced by AS Roma at the start of the 1978/79 campaign, the badge the only alteration to the previous season’s home shirt. Like any sudden change, it opened up a rift. The younger generation embraced the innovation straight away; older fans found it hard to accept this emblem as their own.
Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest – and symbol of the city – featuring Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome, being suckled by a she-wolf. The new image cut to the heart of the question of identity and what a badge means to a club.
It was the work of Piero Gratton, who died in April, and his motif ushered in a new wave that left its mark across Italian and even European football. Gratton’s style was already well known to Italians (even if his name was not) through his graphic animations for state broadcaster Rai and the TG2 news logo, which I particularly love.
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
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"Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city."
"Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest"
But there was no arguing with its impact – nor, perhaps, its inspiration. Check out the Houston Astros baseball team’s Tequila Sunrise jersey worn between 1975 and 1979. If, as for the Astros, the kit was a way for an ailing team to catch the eye, it worked. By the end of the first game to feature the Ghiacciolo shirt at the Stadio Olimpico, a 1-0 win against Juventus in December, fake replica kits were already being sold outside the ground. Not that it met with widespread approval. One newspaper described Roma as “undici ghiaccioli in campo” (11 ice lollies on the pitch) and the name stuck.
From a design perspective, the Lupetto is a perfect logo: high brand awareness, easy to reproduce and effective big or small. It came to symbolise a generation and a new decade for Roma, as well as for Italy as the nation stepped out of the dark 1970s and into the bright 1980s. Gratton’s work follows the same approach of all the great designers of his time: simple, clear ideas and a modern style, while never following a trend.
Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city.
Even though Roma fans successfully campaigned to change the logo and bring back the traditional crest in 1997, the Lupetto remains beloved and has frequently adorned kits since then; in fact, it is expected to be back on the away shirt for the 2020/21 campaign. The wolf cub is alive and kicking. It is vintage, part of the club’s heritage and intrinsic to those glory years of the early 1980s.
Fans love tradition. However, sometimes the tradition they cherish today was once a controversial symbol of the ‘modern game’. Perhaps that’s because ‘modern football’ never stands still; even the most fractious changes become smoothed into the realm of memory.
Additional reporting by Michael Harrold
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
The Lupetto, as the wolf cub is known, was introduced by AS Roma at the start of the 1978/79 campaign, the badge the only alteration to the previous season’s home shirt. Like any sudden change, it opened up a rift. The younger generation embraced the innovation straight away; older fans found it hard to accept this emblem as their own.
Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest – and symbol of the city – featuring Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome, being suckled by a she-wolf. The new image cut to the heart of the question of identity and what a badge means to a club.
It was the work of Piero Gratton, who died in April, and his motif ushered in a new wave that left its mark across Italian and even European football. Gratton’s style was already well known to Italians (even if his name was not) through his graphic animations for state broadcaster Rai and the TG2 news logo, which I particularly love.
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
Early (right) and final (top right) Lupetto design
"Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city."
"Roma’s bold creative choice was a world away from the traditional crest"
But there was no arguing with its impact – nor, perhaps, its inspiration. Check out the Houston Astros baseball team’s Tequila Sunrise jersey worn between 1975 and 1979. If, as for the Astros, the kit was a way for an ailing team to catch the eye, it worked. By the end of the first game to feature the Ghiacciolo shirt at the Stadio Olimpico, a 1-0 win against Juventus in December, fake replica kits were already being sold outside the ground. Not that it met with widespread approval. One newspaper described Roma as “undici ghiaccioli in campo” (11 ice lollies on the pitch) and the name stuck.
From a design perspective, the Lupetto is a perfect logo: high brand awareness, easy to reproduce and effective big or small. It came to symbolise a generation and a new decade for Roma, as well as for Italy as the nation stepped out of the dark 1970s and into the bright 1980s. Gratton’s work follows the same approach of all the great designers of his time: simple, clear ideas and a modern style, while never following a trend.
Every community needs marks, symbols and flags, and if you create one that resonates, people will make it their own. The power of the Lupetto design clearly endures, as proven by the fact that it still crops up as graffiti across Rome, having become part of the fabric of the city.
Even though Roma fans successfully campaigned to change the logo and bring back the traditional crest in 1997, the Lupetto remains beloved and has frequently adorned kits since then; in fact, it is expected to be back on the away shirt for the 2020/21 campaign. The wolf cub is alive and kicking. It is vintage, part of the club’s heritage and intrinsic to those glory years of the early 1980s.
Fans love tradition. However, sometimes the tradition they cherish today was once a controversial symbol of the ‘modern game’. Perhaps that’s because ‘modern football’ never stands still; even the most fractious changes become smoothed into the realm of memory.
Additional reporting by Michael Harrold
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
Design for the 1977 European Cup final (above); 1983 UEFA logo (top left); Gratton's designs resulted in Roma opening Italy's first club shop (left)
