West Ham United are pleased to report that an independent supporter poll, conducted by SMG YouGov, shows that fans have voted in favour of adopting the Club's updated crest design.
Of the two supporter polls, SMG YouGov reported that 77% of fans were supportive of evolving the Club's crest. The Club therefore had a clear mandate for change. When presented with the new crest's design, 72% of West Ham fans who support change, also voted to adopt the new crest design.
SMG YouGov's report confirmed that the second stage of the process attracted new respondents and new opinions, while the results showed that an overall 56% majority of fans voted yes, in clear support of adopting the new crest.
Almost 10,000 West Ham fans completed the crest consultation survey and SMG YouGov's Managing Director, Frank Saez, commented: ''This represents a credible and robust sample of the total supporter base. The results provided to West Ham clearly state that the new crest is supported by the majority of fans.
"This concludes one of the most thorough supporter consultation processes ever conducted by a Premier League club with regards to a new crest.
"Our findings show that respondents who engaged in the Club's extensive research and thought processes from initial consultation were overwhelmingly more positive than those who had begun the process afresh in this, the latter stage."
The Club set out with a clear vision, to create a new crest with each and every element taking inspiration from the Club's heritage. The design brief was the product of careful deliberation following supporter consultation.
Fans have widely endorsed the historical elements that comprise the new crest, which include:
• The hammers inspired from the early 1920s programme designs and the original Thames Ironworks tools
• The shape of the shield has been composed from a cross section of HMS Warrior's hull combined with the iconic 1950s badge
• The typography has been influenced by the badges from the 70 and 80s
• The colours reminiscent of iconic badges of the 60's
Read more about the crest's breakdown here
After carefully monitoring supporter feedback and reading the hundreds of emails sent in by supporters, the Club has made a series of adjustments to the crest's colour and typography.
Firstly, 'United' has been resized to make for a clearer, bolder 'West Ham United' and to ensure that it takes precedence over the reference to the Club's London location at the bottom.
The primary, full-colour flat and mono executions seen here will be the most widely used and will grace the playing shirt from 2016. We are also pleased to report that the popular blue shield with claret hammers will be adopted as a secondary colourway.
Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold said: 'As a Board, we always put the fans' feelings at the heart of our decision making. This is an emotive issue and we have said from the outset that if supporters did not vote for this crest then there would be no change.
From all the emails and tweets we have seen, there are clearly thousands of different opinions out there. But ultimately, the fans have spoken. We are pleased to have found a route that has been endorsed by the majority of fans so we now plan to follow that guidance.
"This process has once again displayed the passion and pride Hammers fans have for their Club and we would like to wholeheartedly thank every fan that has offered their input on this hugely important decision."
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady remarked: "This stunning new crest is the product of months of meticulous research, thoughtful design and invaluable supporter input. It has been crafted with painstaking attention by world-class designers and lifelong supporters to create a bolder, cleaner and more vibrant Club crest, which the fans have now endorsed.
"Our priority now is to continue to work with supporters to ensure that when we make our momentous move in 2016, the Olympic Stadium looks and feels like home. This has always been and remains a guiding principle for the Board in the lead up to the move. Millions of pounds are being invested to make sure the Stadium exceeds fans' expectations come the first game of the 2016/17 season.
"The approval of the new crest is a significant step forward in this process and I would like to reiterate my thanks to the thousands of supporters who played their part in helping to devise what will be the 16th crest in our 119-year history."