Dylan Griffith

Our first task, then, was to define and refine Coaltown’s – already genuine – story, shaping it for both its current audience and the one it’s growing into.

When there’s a clear reason – where design and typographic decisions are fully considered and feel inherently right – it becomes much easier to avoid clichés and passing trends.

In Amsterdam, and across the Netherlands, few names command more reverence than Ajax. So to be asked to rebrand AFC Ajax in their 125th anniversary year – coinciding with Amsterdam’s own 750th celebration – it wasn’t just a brief. It was a moment.

Ajax’s remarkable archive department proved invaluable, offering a wealth of beautifully preserved and meticulously documented material that guided our process from the very beginning.

Our goal was to reflect this philosophy in our approach to the rebrand. In essence, the team’s ‘Total Football’ became our inspiration for a form of Total Design—an adaptive, wide-ranging system unified by a consistent aesthetic, built for movement.

The logotype draws directly from the typography featured in the reintroduced ‘classic logo,’ refined with a contemporary edge.