San Francisco Signal rebrand marks new era for women’s volleyball
The Bay Area-based club has worked with 72andSunny to develop a forward-facing identity that pays tribute to what makes the sport and the city special
The Bay Area team of League One Volleyball (LOVB) has officially rebranded as San Francisco Signal, with the help of creative agency 72andSunny. As one of the most prominent teams in LOVB, which is the only volleyball league with a youth-to-pro system in the world, this announcement ushers in a new era for the burgeoning sport.
Founded in 2020 as a network of youth volleyball clubs, LOVB finally expanded into a professional league just last year, uniting 10 major teams across the country, including Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and Miami, among others. San Francisco is the first team to rebrand with an original name and fully-fledged visual identity, hinting at an exciting future for women’s volleyball.
Working with 72andSunny, who also chose to become part-owners of the organisation, San Francisco Signal has created a brand that is community-driven and rooted in local history and culture. Beginning with the name, they landed on ‘Signal’ after months of consultation with local fans, who entered submissions and voted on their favourites, reaffirming the club’s commitment to its people.
The name alludes to the “communication, trust and the split-second decisions [on court] that bring six athletes together in pursuit of a common goal”, as well as “the belief [off court] that one idea, shared by a community, can inspire something much bigger”, say 72andSunny. It also serves as the foundation of the club’s new visual identity, which is both aspirational and firmly grounded in Bay Area culture.
At the heart of this is the custom wordmark, which speaks to connotations of the term ‘signal’ – namely, movements and shifts. The geometric letterforms, themselves drawing on the Bay Area’s iconic Art Deco architecture, are split by a distinctive line that represents “the path of a transmitted signal … the moment an idea begins to spread.” This captures the unique energy of the city, which is known, among other things, for the many social movements that started in its streets, and eventually spread far and wide.
The dividing line also connects the wordmark to the club’s new glyph, which is a reimagined ‘SF’ acronym that again feels architectural in form, and is representative of the “bold optimism that has shaped the region’s skyline and defined its identity for generations”. Brought into close contact with the ‘Signal’ wordmark through subtle animations, it highlights the club’s deep connection to the Bay Area.
Colour also plays a crucial role here. Across the identity, three distinctive hues reflect the area’s unique characteristics, and several of its physical features: ‘Siren Red’ takes inspiration from the Golden Gate Bridge and the city’s “bold, unapologetic character”; ‘First Light Cream’ pays tribute to the Bay’s famous summertime fog and its “role as a muse for audacious ideas”; and ‘Horizon Blue’ nods to the area’s waterways and expansive skies, as well as the “optimistic spirit that connects the region’s cultures and communities”.
Commenting on her team’s approach to the identity, Evin Shutt, global CEO of 72andSunny, said: “Our creative brief wasn’t just to design a logo for a volleyball team, but to honour the spirit that emerged from the community naming process and create a symbol that the Bay Area could rally around for decades.”