Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC approached us with a clear ambition, but an open question: they wanted to build mascots for both their men’s and women’s clubs, yet the bigger direction behind them was still undefined.
The challenge was not simply designing two characters, but understanding what relationship those characters should have with each other, with the clubs, and with the city itself. Should they feel connected or completely independent? Should they share
a universe, a story, and a visual language — or represent two entirely different identities?
And beyond the characters themselves, there was an even bigger question:
what role would they ultimately play within the clubs, and how could they create a real emotional connection with the fans over time?
For this project, the research and discovery phase became significantly deeper and longer than a typical mascot development process. Creating characters for sports clubs — especially ones so connected to their city and fan culture —
meant that every decision needed to come from something real.
We spent time studying Louisville itself: its history, local stories, cultural symbols, community energy, fan behavior, and the emotional atmosphere surrounding both clubs.
We explored local symbolism, regional wildlife, historical references, rivalries, colors, movement, and the overall spirit of the city.
We also reviewed the identity and evolution of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC, their values, their audiences, the visual language already associated with them, and even the way supporters interacted during matches and online.
Each of these elements became a clue — helping us slowly understand what kind of symbols could authentically represent the clubs and emotionally resonate with the people behind them.
BUILDING MASCOTS UNIVERSE
While exploring the city’s culture and history, one name kept surfacing again and again: Muhammad Ali. His presence was deeply woven into the identity of Louisville — not just as a legendary athlete, but as a symbol of confidence, resilience, charisma, and pride for the city itself. The more we explored, the more it became clear that understanding Louisville also meant understanding the spirit Ali represented.
Then came the moment everything clicked: Muhammad Ali’s iconic words
Design Process
Building the universe
core identity & profile / CHARACTER ARCHETYPE
Defining Sting’s Look
Defining Float’s Look
Float & Sting Across the Brand
LAUNCH EVENT
GAME DAY EXPERIENCE
HEAR IT FROM THE CLIENT
Let’s Talk
