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 intended to be simple illustrations. Instead, 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 connect with them.

Our initial challenges were:

How do we create something that fans don’t just see, but feel is theirs?
How can a mascot be designed to go beyond football and truly connect with its culture?

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

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 coming up: Muhammad Ali.

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

One quote associated with him says everything:
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

So we did!

This became the answer to our first two 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 in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Float’s personality traits:

Bold, fast, and fearless: Every movement challenges the limits.
Winner’s mindset: Float doesn’t just show up; she shows up to win.
Unapologetically daring: She embraces being defiant and challenges norms.
Competitive spirit: She thrives under pressure and finds meaning in pushing her limits.

STING Came From the BEE

This is our Sting. Sharp, expressive, and precise when it matters. A character that balances intensity with playfulness, built for the Louisville City FC team.
Sting’s 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, using 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 is not just in symbolism. It gave both teams a shared story while letting each one express it in its own way.

STRATEGY FROM DAY 0

A Mascot That Lives Among Fans

A football mascot cannot remain conceptual. It has to exist alongside the fans.

From day one, our design approach was guided by a clear priority: ensuring a seamless transition into their physical form without compromising quality, functionality, or character.

At this stage, we brought in our trusted vendor into the process. We collaborate closely during the design phase while simultaneously initiating the development of the mascots’ physical versions.

The result was consistent, believable, and ready right on time.

Launch Strategy

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

The introduction was a sequence of moments, each 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 meet and welcome them for the first time.

First Matchday Appearance
Their first appearance during a live match, where emotion is real and immediate.
Connecting with the Next Generation
The upcoming Kids Club reveal opens the door to a younger audience, where long-term attachment begins. 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 stop 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 take 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.