OL Shows Us How Powerful Visuals can Unite Fans

The French club Olympique Lyonnais is a constant source of fascination for me in the way it has designed it's club to include a professional men's side, a professional women's side and a strong academy system ("centre de formation"). We've covered it before and the journey continues here with a look at how OL uses imagery to build it's club brand.

Check out this image here below, pulled from their club Facebook page. Normally I'm hesitant of cross-promotion between men's and women's sides because the core fan of the men's team is not necessarily the same core fan of the women's side, so you risk pushing content on the wrong fan. But in this case, it works. The club has taken the energy from a match weekend and transformed it into a visual to give you the feel of the club - a sort of hero image that defines who they are. It's a strong statement that symbolizes what the club stands for: quality football across all teams.

They've also layered in their tag line, which further unites the club and fans: "Nous sommes L'Olympique Lyonnais" ("We are Olympique Lyonnais").

It'd be great if fans could come to expect this type of image following every match weekend. A powerful visual representation showcasing the stories that unfolded for the club.

Here, they've done it again, but in this case it's an image from their club merchandise look book. Picking the right visual is key as it tells a story. I love the symbolism of the men's player Lisandro Lopez playfully pulling in the women's player Louisa Necib as if he's saying come on in, you're welcome here. It's also a great way to promote product and drive revenue from fans across both genders.