FC Thorns
PDX
(2024)
Branding ✷ Strategy ✷ Motion ✷ Illustration ✷ Creative Direction
The Portland Thorns FC is a premier professional women's soccer club located in Portland, Oregon, and a proud member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
The organization engaged our team to create the 2025 Hispanic Heritage poster illustration and provide comprehensive branding services for their Hispanic Pride Month 2025 match. We were tasked with developing strategic and creative branding concepts to authentically celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.
Brief
The brief called for bespoke graphic design solutions for Hispanic Heritage Night, spanning a range of deliverables such as a poster, patchwork, T-shirt, in-stadium graphics, social media assets, and a concourse mural. We developed comprehensive mood boards and creative concepts, collaborating closely with the client to refine and select the optimal design direction.
Our Work
From the outset, we partnered closely with the client to ensure our approach honored the diversity of all Latino cultures, rather than focusing on a single group. We identified shared values and cultural elements across Latino communities to guide our creative direction.
We adapted Nike’s global creative to fully take over Finish Line for the launch, ensuring brand consistency while elevating the retail experience. At the center of the activation was a high-impact try-on zone, designed to invite participation and reduce friction for first-time runners.
The result was a retail moment that felt less like a traditional product display and more like an introduction — welcoming, exploratory, and confidence-building.
We drew inspiration from the vibrant art style characteristic of “Sonideras”—street parties, dances, and community gatherings that celebrate cumbia, salsa, merengue, and other tropical Latin musical genres. The distinctive, low-fidelity maximalist posters associated with Sonideras became a central visual reference point for our creative direction.
Our design not only elevated the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the Portland Thorns stadium but also contributed to a sold-out match for the event.
Outcome
