San Diego FC Brand Reveal Festival
On October 20, 2023, San Diego Football Club, the newest installment in the MLS, presented its club name, club Crest, and club colors to fans at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The club held a brand reveal festival to celebrate and bring fans together.
San Diego, CA - October 20,2023: A group of fans take a picture together in front of the soccer ball that represents the 18 cities in San Diego County.
With 3.3 million residents, San Diego is a very large community with very diverse people. San Diego FC's goal was to capture this this large community along with all of the diverse backgrounds inside of its brand identity. The fans have been the most integral part of this organization from the beginning, that is why the club aims to represent the people of San Diego in the best way they can, "our brand identity has been co-created with our fans and supporters over the past six months, we believe our crest truly reflects the essence and spirit of San Diego" said Tom Penn, CEO of San Diego FC.
San Diego, CA - October 20, 2023: Fans gather around the soccer ball, featuring cities like Poway, San Marcos, National City, Solana Beach, Chula Vista, El Cajon, and San Diego.
The club crest represents the 18 diverse cities in San Diego and how they are all tied into one. The club collaborated with Pupila, a world-renowned design agency, along with The House Of, a creative agency in San Diego, to create the crest. Through many focus groups, surveys, and research projects, the club found four principles that define the San Diego community: Gratitude, Proud, not Loud, Diversity, and State of Flow. These four principles are part of the crest and part of San Diego FC's brand identity.
San Diego, CA - October 20, 2023: A fan walks around wearing new club merchandise. The festival had several activities for fans to participate in, like small soccer games, art galleries, and a 360 video booth.
The club colors are chrome and azul which further represent the community. Chrome stands for San Diego's cutting edge innovation and sprit of excellence. Because of its glossy and reflective properties, chrome was established to represent how the club is a reflection of the community. Azul, a dark navy blue, highlights San Diego's connection with the Pacific Ocean and beautiful weather.
The club chose the name "San Diego Football Club" to present how it is much more than just a soccer team. Club means that everyone is involved, owners, players, employees, partners, and fans. Not only does this club represent the 18 communities in San Diego, it also represents communities across the border in Mexico.
Community is the blood of this organization and each piece represents togetherness.
Written and photographed by Darius Boamah