Pro soccer boasts a four-decade history in Minnesota but faced an identity crisis. With a new name and a new spirit, Minnesota United FC set out to give local fans a team to call their own. Soccer is a global game and has the power to bring people together more than any other sport. With the population of the Twin Cities as diverse as ever, it was time for the team to present itself as deeply Minnesotan – but soccer to the core. Was it possible, after so many years of change, to design a crest that felt like a fixture despite its newness? Looking across the league, the crests felt trendy, very literal in their interpretation, and quite loud with color. But if you looked to the rest of the world for inspiration, you’d see that many top clubs had a timeless, understated presentation. This approach would help us to land on a kit that, no matter where you were from, could stand with the greats of the world.

1. MN United FC
Logo and Uniforms
2640 Lyndale Ave. South | Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408 | T +1 612 279 1400 | www.zeusjones.com

2. Minnesota United
Pro soccer boasts a four-decade history in Minnesota but faced an identity crisis. With a new name
and a new spirit, Minnesota United FC set out to give local fans a team to call their own.
Soccer is a global game and has the power to bring people together more than any other sport.
With the population of the Twin Cities as diverse as ever, it was time for the team to present itself as
deeply Minnesotan – but soccer to the core.
Was it possible, after so many years of change, to design a crest that felt like a fixture despite its
newness? Looking across the league, the crests felt trendy, very literal in their interpretation, and
quite loud with color. But if you looked to the rest of the world for inspiration, you’d see that many
top clubs had a timeless, understated presentation.
This approach would help us to land on a kit that, no matter where you were from, could stand with
the greats of the world.

3. Our Inspiration

4. Inspiration
•Classic, understated soccer
•Things that feel true to
Minnesota
•Flat, simple graphics
•Quiet confidence

5. Cliches we’d like to avoid
The Crest:
•Overly aggressive cartoon animals
•Soccer balls from the 80s
•Gradients, bevels, embossing and 3D
rendering
•Anything that feels like American football
•Anything that feels like it is trying too hard
The Kits:
•Unnecessary piping on sides and sleeves
•Random swooshy shapes on side panels
•Anything that feels complicated and
fussy
•Stripes everywhere

6. Initial Design Exploration

12. Final Design Executions

13. 11 feathers represent each
player on the pitch
Blue for the
Mississippi River
L'Etoile du Nord Gray for the Iron Range
The state bird of Minnesota
Font by ProcessType Foundry
in St. Paul, MN

18. More information
Our MN United case study:
http://www.zeusjones.com/case_studies/MN_United_FC
Our blog post from the 2013 launch:
http://www.zeusjones.com/blog/2013/giving-our-home-
states-soccer-team-a-new-identity/