Louisville City FC & Racing Louisville FC

Project Overview

Client: Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC

Launch: 2026

This project focused on designing and creating two mascots for Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC, two American professional soccer teams based in Louisville.

These mascots were never meant to be simple illustrations. They became a living, ever-present heartbeat, built on a system designed to grow. Characters that embody the spirit of Louisville, its people, its energy, and the connection fans carry with them every day.

MASCOTS FOR THE CITY

Mascots don’t belong to brands. They belong to the people who live with them.

So Our initial challenges we faced:

How do we create something that fans don’t just see, but accept as their own?
How can a mascot be designed to go beyond football and meaningfully connect with the culture it comes from?

Football draws its meaning from PEOPLE. From emotion, memory, belonging. A mascot can’t sit outside of that. It doesn’t feel like a layer added on top. It has to come from the same place the fans do.

So we didn’t start with sketches.
We started with the CITY.

Everything Pointed Back to Louisville

We spent time understanding Louisville beyond the surface. Its culture, its rhythm, the stories people repeat without even thinking.

One name kept appearing: Muhammad Ali.

Not only because of what he achieved, but because of how he thought. What he stood for.

There is a sentence people associate with him that says everything without trying too hard: “FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE.”

So we did!

And this answered our first 2 mentioned questions! Two characters took shape. Not as opposites, but as extensions of the SAME BELIEF.

FLOAT Grew out of the BUTTERFLY

This is our Float, Light in movement, she is the bold guardian of speed and rhythm for Racing Louisville FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Float personality traits:

Bold, fast, and fearless: Every movement is a challenge to the limits.
Achiever mindset: Float doesn’t just show up; she shows up to win.
Unapologetically daring: She embraces defiance and challenges the norm.
Competitive spirit: Thrives under pressure and finds meaning in pushing her limits.

STING Came From the BEE

This is our Bee. Sharp, expressive, and precise when it matters. A character that balances intensity with playfulness, aligned with the Louisville City FC team.
Siting personality traits:

Physically powerful, confident, and protective, a natural guardian with swagger.
Combines the discipline of a hero with the light-heartedness of a performer.
Has a playful charisma: he turns every entrance into a moment and every match into a memory.
Wears his strength with humor, flips, kicks, tricks, and cheeky grins.
Authentically grounded in Louisville culture, yet stylized enough to entertain on a national stage.

The strength of the concept was not just in symbolism. It gave both teams a shared story, while allowing each one to express it in its own way.

STRATEGY FROM DAY 0

A Mascot That Lives Among Fans

A football mascot cannot stay in concept form. It has to exist in the same space as the fans.

From day one, our design approach was guided by a clear consideration: ensuring that the mascots could transition seamlessly into their physical form without compromising quality, functionality, or character.

At this stage, we brought in our trusted vendor to join the process. Their involvement allowed us to collaborate closely during the design phase while simultaneously initiating the development of the mascots’ physical versions.

The result was consistent, believable, and ready at exactly the right moment.

Launch Strategy

How and where should Float and Sting be introduced? We don’t see launch as a single reveal. It is a strategy designed from the beginning.

The introduction was a sequence of moments, each one building a stronger connection.

A Ceremonial First Reveal
The mascots were revealed in a ceremony at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Center, where hundreds gathered to see and welcome them for the first time.

First Matchday Appearance
The first appearance during a live match placed the mascots where emotion is real and immediate.
Building the Next Generation Connection
The upcoming Kids Club reveal opens the door to a younger audience, where long-term attachment begins. The previously launched LouCity and Racing Kids Club is now known as the “Float and Sting Kids Club,” presented by YMCA of Greater Louisville.

GROWTH SYSTEM FROM DAY 1

For us, mascots are a LIVING SYSTEM that keeps growing. Growth doesn’t end at design. With our product launch, we knew mascots shouldn’t stay on screens or the pitch, they had to become part of the fans’ everyday lives. That’s how our merchandise journey began.

Merch at the Right Moment

This is how a cohesive STRATEGY comes to life. Merchandise became more than just products. It’s where fans can wear the mascots and carry a piece of them everywhere.

WHAT FANS SAY

The feedback came quickly and made us trust the path we were on.

FINAL WORDS

Every time we are asked to design a mascot, we do more than just create a character. We see a bigger world. One that can grow into a living, impactful system that continues to evolve.

For us, Float and Sting were never just visual outcomes. They were pulses we created, beating for the team and the people of the city.

Now, those fans have something new beside them.
They can float when they move.
Sting when it matters.