Building credibility for your organization is important for managing a youth sports program. Your logo makes the first impression.
Many sports programs today have outdated, blurry, or unusable logos. That’s because it’s generally hard and expensive to create a high quality logo for your team. Designers aren’t cheap.
Whether you run a recreational or travel program, you should have a clean logo that promotes the organization so you can increase participation.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to create a top quality logo online at an affordable price.
How to create a sports logo
1. Brainstorm logo ideas
The first step to get your logo to start brainstorming. You can start brainstorming individually, or get a group of volunteers and coaches together to bounce some ideas around.
If you can’t get together in person, you can use a virtual whiteboard tool like Miro to share ideas with others virtually.
A fun brainstorming idea is to use AI tools to generate some logo ideas. There are many popular AI image generators. AI probably won’t be able to create the final version of your logo, but it’s a fun way to generate some quick ideas that you maybe haven’t thought of.
2. Research examples
Once you’ve done some brainstorming you should research examples. A few questions you can consider are:
- What are other organizations in your community using? Can you use the same logo colors or fonts for consistency? Or do you want your team’s logo to be completely different?
- What do the logos of leagues or teams in neighboring communities look like?
- What are your favorite collegiate or professional sports logos?
Researching examples is very helpful if you plan to hire a designer to create the final version of the logo. Sending them some logos you like for inspiration helps them produce the logo you want.
3. Consider fonts you like
Make sure your font is easy to read and can be used in several different colors. Don’t overcomplicate things. Some of the most popular and long-lasting sports logos are some of the simplest.
To research potential fonts, use the sites below:
4. Choose a way to create your sports logo
High quality logos can cost thousands of dollars (although there are some famous logos that were designed for almost nothing). But, you can get a great logo without spending more than $100!
Here are a few quick and relatively cheap options to get a professional logo made for your teams.
Recruit a local volunteer
The best option is to get your logo created at no cost by someone in your community. You can start by searching a phrase like "graphic designer in {insert your town}" on Google.
You might be able to find a local student, freelance designer, or even marketing agency. Post to social media letting your community know that you need a new logo and that you're looking for a talented designer to help.
Designing a logo for your youth sports program can be a fun project for the designer to put in their portfolio. It’s also a great opportunity for them to give back to the community.
If you're able to find a designer, you can list them as a sponsor for your upcoming season in exchange for their time.Local designers might be willing to do pro bono work to help your youth sports organization.
Find a professional designer online
Finding freelancers online is easier than ever. You can use a site like Upwork or Fiverr to search for designers that specialize in logo design.
Sports logo designers on Fiverr
When using freelance marketplaces, check out reviews from each potential freelancer and view their portfolio of work.
You can also post your project and budget and allow designers to apply. If you use one of the websites above to find a freelancer, you should be able to get a high quality logo created for your organization for between $100 and $500.
Posting a job on Upwork just takes a few minutes and you can work with designers from all over the world without breaking the bank!
Use an online logo maker
If you'd rather have more control over the logo creation but don't have any design skills, you can try using a sports logo creator.
These free logo makers work by inputting your name and some general information about your club. Then, it builds you a custom logo with cool typography and design elements. From there, you can download the logo in various formats, like PNG, and use it across your websites, business cards, brochures, and more.
There are lots of logo generators online. You can start by Googling "sports logo generator", "business logo generator", and other related phrases. You may find some good sports logo templates as well.
💡Resource: The 9 Best Sports Logo Makers Compared
5. Promote your logo on your website and social media
Once you have your new logo files, add them to your website. Most website builders let you integrate the logo into the design of the site.
If you're registering players online, include your logo in email receipts and other notifications to players. Your website, social media, and other online content should all have consistent colors and branding.
Once you have your website updated, replace your logo on all of your social media accounts. Well-organized social media pages can help your organization build credibility in your community. Your logo should be sized correctly and look clean on all of your profiles.
💡Resource: The Best Sports Website Design Examples
Best sports logo design examples
Even though your youth sports program won't have a budget like a professional team, you can still emulate the most popular logos in sports.
It's critical to have several different versions of your logo that can be used for different purposes. For example, if you run a football program you'll want to have a simple version of the logo that can be used on helmets, and another version that includes text that can be used on t-shirts and other apparel.
You should also have a specific font that you can use in different materials like your website, donation letters, and sponsorship materials. The best sports logos are a representation of the team’s history, mission statement, and fanbase.
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals value their team’s tradition, and they have logos and branding that are timeless.
The Cardinals have a variety of logos that are all used for different purposes. For example, the main "STL" logo is used on their main cap, and the bat logo with text is used on their jerseys. The text version is used throughout their website, and the single cardinal sitting on a bat works great on their social media accounts and alternate cap.
Your youth sports organization should have a few different versions of your logo and branding. Source: cardinals.com
Los Angeles Rams
The LA Rams logo has an aggressive blue and gold color scheme that matches their city and sport well. They have several different variations that they use on their helmets, jerseys, 50-yard line, and end zones.
The Rams primary logo is used across all different platforms including apparel, website, uniforms.
The Ram head has been used at the 50-yard line at So-Fi Stadium and a lot of the team’s merchandise.
The Rams wordmark is simple and clean. It can be used in a lot of marketing and promotional materials for the team.
Thunder Soccer Club
Thunder Soccer Club is located in Franklin Park, IL and supports youth soccer players of all skill levels. Their logo is simple and clean, but also has subtle references to the club’s long history (founded in 1983). The lightning bolt behind the logo’s text also separates the logo from others and recognizes the club’s name.
Hopkins Wrestling
The Hopkins Wrestling program uses the main “Hopkins Royals” logo that the rest of the sports programs in Hopkins, MN use. This creates consistency with the mascot, colors, and fonts across the different sports.
But, the wrestling club adds the text “Wrestling” in a different font below the rest of the logo to create a unique version that can be used on the wrestling website, apparel, and other materials.
Saving your own sports logo for future use
Once your logo is finalized you need to make sure you have editable files so you can make changes in the future! You want to have more than just the static file. Instead, you should make sure that the designer sends you the "working files" that they used to create the final version.
Most commonly these will come as PhotoShop (.psd), Illustrator (.ai) or InDesign (.indd) files. If you make changes to your organization name or color scheme you want to make sure you have a file updated quickly.
Sports logo FAQ
What is a logo for a sports team?
A logo for a sports team is an image or symbol that visually represents the organization. It is used on uniforms, apparel, websites, and any other official team items. The logo typically includes different parts of the team identity—like team name, mascot, colors, and sport.
What makes a good sports team logo?
A well-designed logo is memorable and helps rally players, coaches, fans, and the community around the team. Good sports team logos typically share a few key qualities:
- Simplicity: Clean and simple logos are generally more memorable and timeless.
- Versatility: The logo needs to be used in a variety of ways (uniforms, website, social media) and in several different color variations.
- Uniqueness: The logo should be distinct from other team logos. While using popular logos as inspiration can be useful, you should still create a distinct brand for your team that is different from any other team.
How to design a sports club logo?
Designing a sports logo shouldn’t make a big impact on your organization’s budget. Getting a new logo is relatively quick and inexpensive.
Here are steps to design a sports club logo:
- Brainstorm ideas with other board members, coaches, or community members.
- Research examples of other sports logos that can inspire your design.
- Choose a font and colors for your logo.
- Hire a freelance graphic designer or find a volunteer to create the final version of your logo.
- Have your designer create a few different variations of the logo for your team to approve. Make any final tweaks with your designer, save the logo for future use, and start to promote your logo on social media!
