# Washington Commanders new logo (2022)

> Washington Commanders launched a new logo in Feb 2022, designed by Code and Theory. Feb 2 2022: interim Washington Football Team identity replaced by Washington Commanders (new W mark, striped Washington Commanders wordmark, crest).

## Key facts

- Brand: Washington Commanders
- Launched: Feb 2022
- Studio: Code and Theory
- What changed: Feb 2 2022: interim Washington Football Team identity replaced by Washington Commanders (new W mark, striped Washington Commanders wordmark, crest).
- Why: Washington chose the Commanders name because, its president said, it carried the weight befitting a 90-year-old franchise and embodied the service and leadership of the region.
- Industry: Sport
- Logos: https://rebrandlog.com/logos/washington-commanders-2022/before.png (before), https://rebrandlog.com/logos/washington-commanders-2022/after.svg (after)

## The rebrand, explained

Washington dropped its old name in 2020 after decades of criticism, and played two seasons as the placeholder Washington Football Team. The permanent answer came on 2 February 2022, announced by team president Jason Wright on the Today show and at FedEx Field.

Fans had set one condition. Wright said that in the consultation process the first thing people said was not to touch the colours, so burgundy and gold stayed. The main logo is a capital W, and the uniforms borrow the three stars and two bars of the D.C. flag. Wright said the name had the weight and meaning befitting a 90-year-old franchise and embodied the service and leadership that define the region. He also told the Washington Times it fitted the old fight song, which could be adapted around the new name.

The choice came after more than 18 months of research, focus groups and fan submissions, and NPR noted that fan favourite Red Wolves had been ruled out earlier. Wright admitted not everyone was on board, but said the brand was strong enough that fans would find themselves in it over time, and called it the launch of a brand rather than a finished one. A mascot, a nickname and a new fight song were left for fans to help shape.

Reaction was mixed at best. On social media people noted the name had already been used by a short-lived San Antonio team, and many immediately shortened it to the Commies, which Wright brushed off. In the Washington Post, critic Robin Givhan called the name joyless and the graphics a crystallisation of what mystifies non-fans about sport.

The surprise had leaked well before the event. Sporting News noted that the commanders.com domain had moved to the company that hosts most NFL team sites, and that on the eve of the launch a news helicopter spotted the name inside FedEx Field; owner Dan Snyder opened by welcoming everyone to D.C.'s not-best-kept secret. Burgundy and gold stayed, the W was redrawn, and the team introduced burgundy, white and black uniforms plus an alternate helmet under a new league rule. Fan reaction was split: some loved the all-black kit, others called the uniforms uncohesive, and several joked that two years of waiting had produced the name of a defunct AAF team.

Givhan had a point. After 18 months, the team landed on a word that sounds like a committee's compromise and a W that could belong to almost any team. Keeping the colours was the right call; it was also the only part that felt like it belonged to Washington.

In short: Eighteen months of consultation produced a safe name and a safer W.

## Sources

- https://www.commanders.com/news/the-washington-football-team-is-now-the-washington-commanders
- https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/washington-football-team-chooses-commanders-new-club-name-2022-02-02/
- https://apnews.com/article/washington-commanders-nfl-ae58a5d454501417d66b207259486b14
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/02/washington-commanders-logo-uniforms/

## Cite this

Rebrand Log, "Washington Commanders new logo (2022)", https://rebrandlog.com/rebrand/washington-commanders-2022/, last updated 2026-10-20.