Crowd of people at a soccer game or event with a large banner and advertising signage in the background, and a logo with a soccer ball and snowshoe in the foreground.

BRANDING IDENTITY & ILLUSTRATION

Soccer Capital of America

Challenge

As Kansas City prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Sporting Kansas City sought to reinforce its identity as the heartbeat of the local soccer community. Despite holding the official trademark for the "Soccer Capital of America," a gap remained between the club’s modern brand and the city's deep-rooted soccer history. The primary goal was to bridge this gap by leveraging the World Cup's global spotlight to convert international/national visitors and new residents into long-term, loyal Sporting KC Fans.

Approach

We developed a multi-tiered branding system that anchors Sporting KC’s identity within the national landscape. By centering the design on Kansas City’s 'Heartland' moniker, we established the city as the definitive geographical and cultural focal point of American soccer. We integrated the club’s signature colors and typography with U.S. iconography to visually show the 'Soccer Capital of America' trademark for a global audience.

Logo for Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City featuring a map of Missouri with a soccer ball and a location marker.
Logo for Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City, with white and red text on a dark blue background.
Logo of Soccer Capital of America featuring a soccer ball hitting a derby-style hat.
A cartoon illustration of the state of Minnesota with a heart marking a location, and a soccer ball appearing to land on that spot.
A heart with a soccer ball inside it, on a light blue background.
A sticker of a soccer ball hitting a red heart, with motion lines indicating impact, on a light blue background.
A large red chocolate box with a heart shape design featuring the Kansas City Soccer Team logo and the words 'KC', 'Russell Stover', and 'Soccer Capital of America'. The box advertises 'Crispies & Honey Caramel' chocolates.
Flag with Kansas City Sporting Soccer logo, a soccer ball with steam and a heart, and the text 'Soccer Capital of America' and 'Kansas City' on it, attached to a black flagpole against a cloudy sky.

Developed as a co-branding initiative, this system was designed to drive local engagement through our corporate partnerships. These assets highlight how we worked alongside SKC partners to elevate Kansas City's profile as the Soccer Capital of America.

Process work

Exploration

Various logos and text designs featuring the phrase "Soccer Capital of America" with soccer imagery, patriotic colors, and U.S. map outlines.

Refined variants exploration

Collection of nine soccer-themed logos featuring the outline of Kansas with a soccer ball on a red heart and various text styles, all themed as the 'Soccer Capital of America' or 'Kansas City'.
A graphic illustration of a soccer ball and a heart with a map of Kansas City in the background, with text reading 'Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City.'
A graphic logo featuring a red heart with three blue lines shooting up, forming a soccer ball at the top right corner, and the text 'LOGO SYSTEM' written in bold dark blue letters at the bottom left.
Page showing four variations of a logo for Soccer Capital of America in Kansas City, featuring a map outline with a soccer ball and a red location pin, with different background colors and text styles.
Brand guideline page featuring the Soccer Capital of America logo with a shoe and soccer ball, the phrase Kansas City, and soccer ball icons. It also displays partnership lockup logos for Soccer Capital of America and Sporting Kansas City.
Guidelines for logo usage for Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City, showing incorrect logo applications such as adding drop shadows, manipulating, stretching, changing colors, creating strokes, angling, icon misuse, low contrast backgrounds, busy b
Four different versions of the Soccer Capital of America logo in blue, navy, white, and red backgrounds, with a soccer ball and checkmark icon.
A branding style guide for Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City, showing four different wordmark styles with different background colors: light blue, navy blue, white, and red. The logo features text 'Soccer Capital of America Kansas City' with a s
Color palette of four icons for Soccer Capital of America, featuring a soccer ball on a map of Kansas, a soccer ball inside a heart, and a soccer ball on a check mark, in different background colors.
A graphic illustration featuring a red heart with a black outline and a textured surface, with a black and white soccer ball above it, connected by two blue lines, set against a blue background. The word "COLORS" appears in bold black letters at the
Color palette chart for Soccer Capital of America branding, showing primary colors: sporting blue, dark indigo, white, and heartland red, each with color codes for Pantone, HEX, RGB, and CMYK.
A stylized graphic of a red heart with a soccer ball above it, with the word 'TYPOGRAPHY' in bold black letters in the bottom left corner against a light blue background.
A branding guideline slide for Soccer Capital of America in Kansas City, with typography details. It includes font names like Dharma Gothic Extra Bold, Termina Bold, and Folkies Vantage Script, along with sample text and specifications for each font
A stylized illustration of Kansas with a heart marker, a soccer ball bouncing above it, representing Kansas City, on a guide page for Soccer Capital of America.

The Team Behind the Creative

Creative Director: Nate Saathoff

Lead Designers: Sayler Rivas, Max Paxton

Photo Team: Alex Lorenzo, Jessi Carpenter, Kyleigh Rowe, Max Paxton, Sayler Rivas