Branding with words

Despite having the top ranked Scrabble players in the US, San Francisco Scrabble Club #95 had no visual identity. Club leaders wanted a way to represent the club locally and at tournaments.

We interviewed the leadership and club members to understand what the identity needed to represent. They wanted a clear connection to San Francisco and referenced MUNI as a local brand that members admire.

The central SF 95 wordmark uses double line lettering inspired by MUNI. Scrabble tiles spell out the club name in a circle around it. The main color is coral red. We sampled it from the Scrabble board.

The identity was designed to work across the club's website, social media, and merchandise. We created sweatshirts, T-shirts, and tote bags for members. Designs feature Scrabble wordplay, including hoodies with the longest words in the game.

The identity gives a small organization a strong connection to San Francisco and a distinctive presence at US tournaments.