New Bern FC
The most historical city on the list, New Bern was the capital of North Carolina before it was moved to Raleigh in 1792 (your fun fact of the day). The city itself was named after the “federal city” of Switzerland, Bern (two fun facts for the day). New Bern FC (NBFC) would play matches at Creek Side Park.
My goal for the NBFC crest was to capture the city’s connection to government during the birth of the country. I got the idea of a wax seal from New Bern being the birthplace of Pepsi. While the soda was unlikely to have been sealed with wax, the bottle reminded me of the use of wax seals on official letters and government documents. Red was the typical color for these wax seals and I brought that forward to this logo. While gold is not in the color range of New Bern’s imagery, I felt that the gold offset by a dark shadow gave depth and a sense of royalty to what I’m imagining as one of the oldest clubs in this project.
I shortened the name to NBFC as initials were often used in wax seals. The waves are a nod to the city’s location by the ocean.
For this kit, I wanted to create something simple, timeless and clean. As I mentioned above, I imagine this club has been around for a long time and have a more upper class “proper” appearance to them, thus the more classic and traditional look as opposed to something based off of, say, one of Nike’s new templates.
Special thanks to Russell Varner for his help editing.
About me
First and foremost I am an amateur with no formal training. My hope is that this series will spark other creatives to make their own versions. Learn more about the series here. I was born and raised in Middlesex, North Carolina and have spent most of my adult life living in Raleigh. I am a fan of the beautiful game who wants to see it grow at the grassroots level.
