In the world of branding, nothing quite compares to the high stakes, adrenaline soaked landscape of Major League Soccer. When I was given the opportunity to be a part of the team charged with branding St. Louis City SC, I understood the challenge ahead: to build not just a logo, but an identity that would resonate with fans and become a beacon for the community. Ultimately, the work shown here didn’t make the final cut. The powers that be went in another direction. But despite the miss, this work stands as some of my proudest. A shot on goal that just didn’t grab net. This is the story of that journey.
Services Provided
Brand Identity
Copywriting
Apparel Design
It’s a challenge, branding a major sports team. Unlike most corporate brands, a team logo must connect on a very personal level with thousands of people from all different walks of life. The demographic is impossibly broad and the needed impact is substantial. It’s like branding a new religion. How does one create an instant icon, a unifying symbol for a city with so many divergent personalities?
Enter The Arch
It’s the most ubiquitous symbol in St. Louis. It’s everywhere — for good reason. As a symbol, the Gateway Arch packs a tremendous amount of meaning into a simple graceful bend. It’s a triumphal arch, a monument of victory dating back to ancient Rome. It’s a bridge between North St. Louis and South City and a portal into East St. Louis across the river. Historically, it commemorates the pioneer spirit of The Lewis and Clark Expedition, a journey into the unknown. It’s also an engineering marvel, the tallest arch in the world, a modern totem to innovation. You want to connect with thousands of different people in this city? Here’s your tool. But how do you use the Arch in a way that is unique enough to stick with people and make an impact?
A New Perspective
Everyone shows the Arch from a great distance — the only way to really express its scale. But if you visit the Arch in person, you see the structure from below. The Arch divides the sky into two simple shapes — two forms coming together; the East and the West; a foot and a ball; the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers; the citizens and the city. Dwarfed under its colossal steel frame, you feel the true weight of its symbolism.
Home to America’s first professional soccer league, St. Louis boasts a deep legacy of the sport, earning the nickname America’s First Soccer Capital. Attention was paid to the history of St. Louis soccer, from the typography to the angle of the arch in the crest.
Wearing your team’s gear isn’t just about being a fan, its an expression of personality, both yours and the team’s. Branded gear should feel authentic to the team, not Adidas, not MLS.
Too often, team merchandise feels artificial and homogenous — a result of different designers for different companies creating pieces that work for every team in a given league. There is room for sophistication and style in sports branding if only teams would embrace it and allow each individual team to speak with its own voice.
