In the summer of 2019, the United Soccer League (USL) established its first San Diego club, slated to play in the 2020 season of the USL Championship. But in a city that’s been through a lot of ups and downs in the professional sports category, USL San Diego knew that before they could launch the club, they needed to first understand the needs, dreams, and even pain points of their audience. They needed it to be about the people.
Listening to the community
Through thousands of hours of conversations with local residents, USL San Diego began to develop the brand, and landed on the name “San Diego Loyal” to embody the promise and fierce allegiance the club would have to the city that drives its passion. With a club name finalized, the next step was to create a visual identity for the brand, and one that would be instantly authentic to San Diego. They looked to Red Door to help.
Visualizing the essence of San Diego
Taking all the inputs and inspirations to heart, we set out to create a club crest that would not only elevate a passion for soccer, but pay homage to the culture of San Diego, the diversity and spirit of our community—and the native land that drew us all here.
Video by Paradeigm
Creating the brand identity
Our color palette pulls from the natural shades of San Diego, featuring sunset oranges and ocean blues, with a layered-in style that speaks to beauty and diversity. A unique “SD” mark reminiscent of both the sun and a soccer ball is situated toward the top, elevating and uniting us as a city, and the type design of “Loyal” gives us a sense of rootedness. The shape of the crest has a traditional feel, while nodding to the Spanish architecture prevalent throughout our neighborhoods.
Below is the final crest design and color palette for the San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, created for all those who call San Diego home.
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