A Peircean Semiotic Analysis of Visual Signs in Selected La Liga Club Logos during the 2025/2026 Season
Abstract
Football club logos communicate historical, cultural, geographical, and institutional aspects of club identity through visual signs. This study analyses four selected La Liga club logos, representing Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Sevilla FC, and Valencia CF, used during the 2025/2026 season. The clubs were selected purposively because their logos contain distinctive visual elements associated with their respective historical and regional backgrounds. Using a descriptive qualitative method, the study applies Charles Sanders Peirce’s (1867) semiotic framework to classify visual signs as icons, indexes, and symbols according to their relationships with objects. The findings indicate that symbols convey conventional associations with club heritage and regional identity, while icons represent objects through visual resemblance. The analysis demonstrates that club identity is communicated through different sign-object relationships, showing how visual elements refer to historical and cultural contexts rather than merely serving as decorative features. This study contributes to visual semiotics by illustrating the relevance of Peirce’s classification for examining identity representation in football club logos.
Keywords
References
Aydın, G., & Aydın, G. (2024). Futbolun Görsel Dili: Logolar ve Markalaşma Stratejileri. In V. Alaeddinoğlu, A. Yıkılgan, M. H. Sivrikaya, N. Kandil, D. Budak, Ş. Dertli, M. E. Dertli, G. Aydın, G. Aydın, Y. Kaygusuz, İ. Seçkin Ağırbaş, S. Ulupınar, S. Özbay, & M. Mavibaş (Eds.), Spor Yönetiminde Sürdürülebilirlik ve Nitel Araştırmalar. Özgür Yayınları. https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub485.c2009
Barnes, A. (2023). Kissing the Badge: Club Crests or Corporate Logos? Soccer & Society, 24(5), 607–621. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2022.2072833
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2024). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gómez-Bantel, A. (2016). Football Clubs as Symbols of Regional Identities. Soccer & Society, 17(5), 692–702. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2015.1100430
Mayorga Escalada, S., & Suárez Carballo, F. (2025). La Simplicidad en el Rediseño de las Marcas Gráficas de los Clubes de La Liga. VISUAL REVIEW. International Visual Culture Review / Revista Internacional de Cultura Visual, 17(1), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v17.5734
Michailidis, I., Vambakidou, I., Kyridis, A., & Christodoulou, A. (2016). The Logotypes of Football Clubs as Expressions of Collective Identities: A Socio-Semiotic Approach. Soccer & Society, 17(4), 464–479. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2014.919272
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative Data analysis A methods Sourcebook (3th editio). Sage Publications.
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful Sampling for Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis in Mixed Method Implementation Research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Peirce, C S, & Hoopes, J. (2010). Peirce on Signs: Writings on Semiotic. University of North Carolina Press.
Peirce, Charles Sanders. (1867). On a New List of Categories.
Rohmani, A. L., Suyatman, U., & Sakinah, R. M. N. (2025). Denotation, Connotation, and Myth Through Verbal and Non-Verbal Signs on Representation of Identity in the Big Six Premiere League Club Logos. Esteem Journal of English Education Study Programme, 8(1), 416–426. https://doi.org/10.31851/esteem.v8i1.17755
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever Happened to Qualitative Description? Research in Nursing & Health, 23(4), 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4<334::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-G
Shobe, H. (2008). Place, Identity and Football: Catalonia, Catalanisme and Football Club Barcelona, 1899-1975. National Identities, 10(3), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/14608940802249965
Wiweka, I. P. G. (2023). Semiotic Study of Football Team Logo in La Liga. Ulil Albab: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, 2(10), 4820–4826. https://doi.org/10.56799/jim.v2i10.2250
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i5.3392
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fadel Muhamad Mubaroq, Dewi Kustanti, Erlan Aditya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
