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MLS Expansion Club St Louis City SC Unveils Name and Logo


gosioux76

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42 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

Since I moved here a year or so ago, I've noticed a fair amount of "Saint" references. Some are more recent, like Saint Louis FC and Hotel Saint Louis, but others are long-standing and, in some cases, historic organizations: Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis University. 

 

Unlike, say, St. Paul, where you rarely see the use of the word "Saint" in identifying the city, St. Louis seems to embrace both spellings equally. 

 

That makes sense. Granted, I don't get to see all the things you all get to see on the ground since I'm more concerned with not getting stuck trying to maneuver a 13-foot tall 74-foot-long vehicle through there. 😁

 

Off to the side, out of curiosity...how prominent (and this is for anyone) does the color orange figure into the St. Louis landscape? I mean, all the bridge overpasses are gray, red and black, but in the grander scheme of things, does orange have a visibility? I know the Spirits of St Louis had orange as their primary color...guess I'm just trying to think outside the box a lil' bit.

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*Disclaimer: I am not an authoritative expert on stuff...I just do a lot of reading and research and keep in close connect with a bunch of people who are authoritative experts on stuff. 😁

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5 minutes ago, Buc said:

 

That makes sense. Granted, I don't get to see all the things you all get to see on the ground since I'm more concerned with not getting stuck trying to maneuver a 13-foot tall 74-foot-long vehicle through there. 😁

 

Off to the side, out of curiosity...how prominent (and this is for anyone) does the color orange figure into the St. Louis landscape? I mean, all the bridge overpasses are gray, red and black, but in the grander scheme of things, does orange have a visibility? I know the Spirits of St Louis had orange as their primary color...guess I'm just trying to think outside the box a lil' bit.

From what I can see, there's very little orange associated with this city.

 

It's such a huge sports town, that almost everything color-wise is influenced by sports branding, so blue and red are clearly prominent as identifying colors for St. Louis. The XFL BattleHawks' use of Blue falls in line with that trend, as did the Rams. Had the St. Louis Browns stuck around and not moved to Baltimore, it may be a different story. But these days, I see little to no orange. 

 

That's why I think we'll see some kind of combo of red, blue and yellow - the colors of the city flag. RSL and Chicago use similar colors, but it's been so pervasive in MLS4THELOU branding to this point that I'd be really surprised if they went a different direction. 

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49 minutes ago, BC985 said:

If posts like these continue, could we be looking at Saint Louis City?

 

 

I don't know. Saying "collective SPIRIT" has me wondering. Although, I don't know the trademark situation in regards to that name, so it's purely speculation on my part.

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21 minutes ago, McCall said:

I don't know. Saying "collective SPIRIT" has me wondering. Although, I don't know the trademark situation in regards to that name, so it's purely speculation on my part.


Good point

 

 

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24 minutes ago, McCall said:

I don't know. Saying "collective SPIRIT" has me wondering. Although, I don't know the trademark situation in regards to that name, so it's purely speculation on my part.

 

The NBA owns the Spirits of St. Louis trademark, per the TESS database.

 

And calling the team St. Louis City would be remarkably tone deaf. There's a huge divide here between city of St. Louis and St. Louis County, a division many believe is a driving force in many of this region's economic and political struggles. It would be an odd choice to pick a name that could stoke that divide. 

 

 

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The armchair detective in me agrees with @Brian in Boston that it will be Saint Louis Stars FC. 

 

The TESS Database shows Saint Louis Stars -- both with and without the name Saint spelled out -- has an abandoned trademark. And the ICANN database shows someone registered the domain Saintlouisstars.com on June 26 and Stlouisstars.com on July 28. 

 

Those could certainly be domain name squatters. All of this is circumstantial evidence, and it certainly doesn't confirm anything, but they're some decent breadcrumbs to chew on. 

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3 hours ago, BC985 said:

If posts like these continue, could we be looking at Saint Louis City?

 

 

 

If anything, the no boundaries or limits comment makes me think Saint Louis United. Which, considering St. Louis is a community largely defined by how fragmented it is between the City, the County, St. Charles, JeffCo, and even further - the sentiment could play really well.

 

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

 

The NBA owns the Spirits of St. Louis trademark, per the TESS database.

 

And calling the team St. Louis City would be remarkably tone deaf. There's a huge divide here between city of St. Louis and St. Louis County, a division many believe is a driving force in many of this region's economic and political struggles. It would be an odd choice to pick a name that could stoke that divide. 

 

 

 

Agreed. Saint Louis City would be just about the worst name they could go with, and I don't see it happening.

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StL Cardinals - Indy Colts - Indiana Pacers - Let's Go Blues! - Missouri State Bears - IU Hoosiers - St Louis City SC

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Completely unscientific survey time, gang!

So, I've been doing some digging amongst family, friends, and colleagues who call the St. Louis area home. As it turns out, six people I know participated in public meetings/focus groups that MLS4THELOU conducted last Fall on the topic of team branding. Additionally, a former college classmate works for a creative agency in St. Louis. 

The folks who were part of the public meetings/focus groups - my cousin and her husband, my godson and his roommate (both students at Saint Louis University), and two colleagues from different jobs I've held in the past - all said that a significant portion of the MLS4THELOU presentation at the events revolved around the history, legacy, and tradition of the sport of soccer in St. Louis, as well as the impact that players born and raised in Greater St. Louis have had on the growth of soccer in America. When I mentioned that Heritage Saint Louis and Saint Louis Legacy had both appeared on a recent purported shortlist of team identities, my godson, his roommate, and one of my two former colleagues all recalled that they'd heard Saint Louis Legacy mentioned as a possible team name at the sessions they'd attended. No word on whether said mention was made by someone leading the discussion, or by an attendee... and I neglected to ask. Further, my college classmate said that Saint Louis Legacy has been a potential name that he's heard bandied about in the creative community for several months.

Likewise, the "collective spirit" of St. Louisans, as well as soccer's potential to feed off of and amplify said energy and attitude, was - according to my contacts - mentioned at the public branding gatherings. So, that catchphrase has apparently been kicking around amongst the MLS4THELOU braintrust for quite some time.

All of the people I spoke to said that attendees at their respective public meetings tended to slot into one of three categories when it came to potential team names: Traditional (Saint Louis FC/SC, Saint Louis United, Saint Louis City, etc.), North American Plural (Saint Louis Archers, Saint Louis Stars, Saint Louis Steamers, etc.), and North American Modern (Gateway Saint Louis, Saint Louis Legacy, Saint Louis Spirit FC, etc.). When asked to select a potential team name other than their first choice, my contacts said that the vast majority of attendees at their sessions would simply shift to another team name in the same category. For instance, a proponent of Saint Louis FC would shift support to something like Saint Louis United, while a Saint Louis Archers fan would move to something akin to Saint Louis Kings, and a Saint Louis Legacy booster might stump for Gateway Saint Louis. However, when attendees were asked to specifically select a name that they'd support from outside their preferred category, supporters of Traditional and North American Modern names showed a surprising propensity to shift support to the same North American Plural identity - St. Louis Stars.

As for imagery, the Gateway Arch was - rather unsurprisingly and by a significant margin - the local landmark that my contacts say most public meeting/focus group attendees wanted to see depicted within a team logo/badge. Second to the Arch, the Apotheosis of St. Louis statue seemed to garner the most support, with some element of the city's flag design coming in third. My college classmate with the creative agency said that he's perceived a desire to include a depiction of the Apotheosis has cooled significantly in recent months, perhaps due to the controversy surrounding statuary in cities throughout the United States.

Team name support amongst the people I spoke to broke down as follows (second choice)...
 

Cousin - Saint Louis Spirit FC (Gateway Saint Louis FC)
Cousin's Husband - Gateway Saint Louis FC (Saint Louis Stars)
Godson - Gateway Saint Louis FC (Saint Louis Archers)
Godson's Roommate - Saint Louis Legacy (Saint Louis Stars)
Colleague #1 - Saint Louis Stars (Saint Louis SC) 
Colleague #2 - Saint Louis Legacy (Saint Louis Spirit FC)
College Classmate/Design Professional - Gateway Saint Louis FC or Saint Louis Legacy (equal weight between the two)  
 
So, based upon my cursory examination of an exceedingly small sample, we can expect the new MLS franchise in St. Louis to be dubbed Gateway Saint Louis FC, Saint Louis Legacy, Saint Louis Spirit FC, or the Saint Louis Stars. The team's badge will feature the Gateway Arch, the Apotheosis of St. Louis, or some portion of the City of St. Louis municipal flag.

Of course, the reality is that we're most likely looking at Saint Louis FC or Saint Louis United. 🤣 😉                     

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5 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

Completely unscientific survey time, gang!

So, I've been doing some digging amongst family, friends, and colleagues who call the St. Louis area home. As it turns out, six people I know participated in public meetings/focus groups that MLS4THELOU conducted last Fall on the topic of team branding. Additionally, a former college classmate works for a creative agency in St. Louis. 

The folks who were part of the public meetings/focus groups - my cousin and her husband, my godson and his roommate (both students at Saint Louis University), and two colleagues from different jobs I've held in the past - all said that a significant portion of the MLS4THELOU presentation at the events revolved around the history, legacy, and tradition of the sport of soccer in St. Louis, as well as the impact that players born and raised in Greater St. Louis have had on the growth of soccer in America. When I mentioned that Heritage Saint Louis and Saint Louis Legacy had both appeared on a recent purported shortlist of team identities, my godson, his roommate, and one of my two former colleagues all recalled that they'd heard Saint Louis Legacy mentioned as a possible team name at the sessions they'd attended. Further, my college classmate said that Saint Louis Legacy has been a potential name that he's heard bandied about in the creative community for several months.

Likewise, the "collective spirit" of St. Louisans, as well as soccer's potential to feed off of and amplify said energy and attitude, was - according to my contacts - mentioned at the public branding gatherings. So, that catchphrase has apparently been kicking around amongst the MLS4THELOU braintrust for quite some time.

All of the people I spoke to said that attendees at their respective public meetings tended to slot into one of three categories when it came to potential team names: Traditional (Saint Louis FC/SC, Saint Louis United, Saint Louis City, etc.), North American Plural (Saint Louis Archers, Saint Louis Stars, Saint Louis Steamers, etc.), and North American Modern (Saint Louis Confluence, Gateway Saint Louis, Saint Louis Legacy, etc.). When asked to select a potential team name other than their first choice, my contacts said that the vast majority of attendees at their sessions would simply shift to another team name in the same category. For instance, a proponent of Saint Louis FC would shift support to something like Saint Louis United, while a Saint Louis Archers fan would move to something akin to Saint Louis Kings, and a Saint Louis Legacy booster might stump for Gateway Saint Louis). However, when attendees were asked to specifically select a name that they'd support from outside their preferred category, supporters of Traditional and North American Modern names showed a surprising propensity to shift support to the same North American Plural identity - St. Louis Stars.

As for imagery, the Gateway Arch was - rather unsurprisingly and by a significant margin - the local landmark that my contacts say most public meeting/focus group attendees wanted to see depicted within a team logo/badge. Second to the Arch, the Apotheosis of St. Louis statue seemed to garner the most support, with some element of the city's flag design coming in third. My college classmate with the creative agency said that he's perceived a desire to include a depiction of the Apotheosis has cooled significantly in recent months, perhaps due to the controversy surrounding statuary in cities throughout the United States.

Team name support amongst the people I spoke to broke down as follows (second choice)...
 

Cousin - Saint Louis Spirits FC (Gateway Saint Louis FC)
Cousin's Husband - Gateway Saint Louis FC (Saint Louis Stars)
Godson - Gateway Saint Louis FC (Saint Louis Archers)
Godson's Roommate - Saint Louis Legacy (Saint Louis Stars)
Colleague #1 - Saint Louis Stars (Saint Louis SC) 
Colleague #2 - Saint Louis Legacy (Saint Louis Spirits FC)
College Classmate/Design Professional - Gateway Saint Louis FC or Saint Louis Legacy  
 
So, based upon my cursory examination of an exceedingly small sample, we can expect the new MLS franchise in St. Louis to be dubbed Gateway Saint Louis FC, Saint Louis Legacy, Saint Louis Spirit FC, or the Saint Louis Stars. The team's badge will feature the Gateway Arch, the Apotheosis of St. Louis, or some portion of the City of St. Louis municipal flag.

Of course, we're most likely looking at Saint Louis FC or Saint Louis United. 🤣 😉                     

 

That's interesting analysis, Brian. Thanks for sharing. 

 

Interestingly, a prominent figure in the St. Louis soccer scene, Bill McDermott, trademarked the name Legacy St. Louis back in January. Best I can tell, he's not affiliated with team ownership. Here's the logo he trademarked. Based on this, I'd rule out Legacy. 

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21 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

Interestingly, a prominent figure in the St. Louis soccer scene, Bill McDermott, trademarked the name Legacy St. Louis back in January. Best I can tell, he's not affiliated with team ownership. Here's the logo he trademarked. Based on this, I'd rule out Legacy. 

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Interesting find. In addition to being a terrific soccer player at both McBride High School and Saint Louis University (he was on Billiken national championship teams in 1967 and 1969), as a soccer broadcaster McDermott's covered every World Cup - in one capacity or another - since 1970. He's also a professional graphic designer who likely created that logo.   

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Also, @Brian in Boston, your analysis tracks with some of the anecdotes I've heard locally in St. Louis. It's all second or third hand, but the one thing I've heard is that Stars wasn't anybody's first choice, but it was a lot of people's second choices. It's now clear to me that this probably comes directly from these focus groups. 

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22 hours ago, BC985 said:

If posts like these continue, could we be looking at Saint Louis City?

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I'm looking at the colors used in that promo (which I'm legit amazed no one's mentioned yet) and wondering if that may be the new team's colorway...?

*Disclaimer: I am not an authoritative expert on stuff...I just do a lot of reading and research and keep in close connect with a bunch of people who are authoritative experts on stuff. 😁

|| dribbble || Behance ||

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9 minutes ago, Buc said:

 

Meanwhile, I'm looking at the colors used in that promo (which I'm legit amazed no one's mentioned yet) and wondering if that may be the new team's colorway...?

 

MLS4THELOU has been using variations on red, yellow and blue since they launched their expansion effort in the fall of 2019. And the stadium renderings show people dressed in red jerseys which, admittedly, isn't always a clue. But I could see how the shade of red they're using here is more pink-ish than what they've been using to this point. I'd be surprised if that's what they went with. It's almost magenta. 

 

It would be different for the league, certainly. 

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On 8/4/2020 at 1:55 PM, gosioux76 said:

 

That's interesting analysis, Brian. Thanks for sharing. 

 

Interestingly, a prominent figure in the St. Louis soccer scene, Bill McDermott, trademarked the name Legacy St. Louis back in January. Best I can tell, he's not affiliated with team ownership. Here's the logo he trademarked. Based on this, I'd rule out Legacy. 

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That's a pretty slick crest actually, it's got a cool take on the river and the arch. Just tweak some the fonts and I'd really like to see something like this.

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On 8/2/2020 at 2:47 AM, Buc said:

 

...As for the club name, it seems they are dead set on spelling out the "Saint" in "St. Louis"--funny since not even the post office does that there. Any particular reason for that?

 

"Saint" and "Louis" are both 5-letter words, which does give it a nice balance, e.g. for logos, stadium signage, soccer scarves, etc. I guess that could be one aesthetic reason for spelling it out. 

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You lost me completely when you eliminated the most superior name of all time, the St. Louis LazerSnakes.

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On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said:
She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.)
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