Degree Show 2026
Grace Holgate
BA Graphic and Communication Design
I’m a designer from Bury, Greater Manchester. Bury F.C. Women have an extraordinary story: a team that kept football alive in their town while the men’s club collapsed around them. Yet they carry no identity of their own. This project reimagines them as the Bury F.C. Phoenixes: a brand identity built from their untold history of resilience, unity and ambition. From badge and kit design to social media, merchandise and advertising, every element is rooted in their narrative. The project argues that women’s football doesn’t need to borrow an identity. It needs one built specifically for them that tells their story.
The social media has been designed to look energetic, fresh and bold to represent a new era of the club and inspire new generations.
The overall tone of voice for this rebrand is concise, energetic and empowering. It reflects who the club are, their ambition, resilience and community values, making a loud and proud statement: Bury F.C. Phoenixes are back, louder than ever. They are here, they are dominating, and they are inspiring a new generation.
The badge features a blue phoenix chosen because an article described the women’s team as a “phoenix rises”. A blue phoenix represents calmness and creation within chaos mirroring how the women’s story unfolded. While the men’s club loudly collapsed around them, the women simply carried on playing. But they did it without the noise. The kit pattern is taken from an actual sound wave recording of the crowd cheers from the women’s first goal back at Gigg Lane in their historic 3-0 win in 2022. The idea positions the players as literally wearing the sound of their fans, connecting the team and supporters through a single graphic; tracing the story back to that defining moment.