The Turf Wrexham AFC Heritage Branding & Logo Design

The Client

The Turf is a world-famous pub built between 1840 and 1844, standing beside the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, Wales. As the spiritual home for Wrexham football fans, it gained global recognition via the documentary Welcome to Wrexham featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have visited landlord Wayne Jones at the pub. The brief: give a pub with 180 years of history an identity worthy of its new worldwide audience.

The Design

The branding honours the unique history of the location. The stadium next door is the oldest international football stadium in the world, known as the Racecourse Ground. To pay homage to this heritage, the logo features a vintage-style Jockey and Racehorse paired with bold typography and the line “Established 1840”, connecting the pub’s origins to its modern status as a football landmark. A supporting layer of vintage racecourse posters, ticket office scenes, and Wrexham Races programme artwork roots the identity in the pub’s past. It is the kind of distinctive, story-driven mark I describe in what makes a good logo.

The Result

The identity gained international exposure after featuring in the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, with the branded tables, signage, and merchandise visible in multiple episodes. The horse and jockey now runs through the whole pub experience: the hanging sign outside, the logo behind the bar, the custom wooden tables, the branded pint glasses and takeaway coffee cups. On matchdays, supporters wear The Turf shirts, hoodies, and scarves in the stadium stands, and fans travel from around the world to visit, turning the logo into a collector’s item. The branding successfully bridges 180 years of history with a new global audience.

This project is part of the brand identity design services I offer to clients worldwide.