Wunder Werkz Captures Colorado Way of Life
Professional women’s soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports and Denver locals hope to bring a team of their own to Colorado. Partnering with design studio Wunder Werkz, a group of investors and community leaders has launched “For Denver FC” (FDFC) – an initiative aimed at bringing a professional women’s soccer team to Colorado by 2026.
Collaborating with experienced soccer marketing firm Skylark, the creative team sought to leverage the enthusiasm and buzz of the 2023 Women’s World Cup with a brand anchored in local pride and one that reached beyond female players and young girls to enlisted all sports fans regardless of gender.
Wunder Werkz led creation of the “For Denver FC” identity, including custom illustrations, color palette, typographic systems, layout and design systems. Applications included merchandise and promotional touchpoints such as t-shirts, bumper stickers, scarves, posters and a microsite. Great care was taken to engage bikers, hikers, skiers, rock climbing and other action sports popular locally. Bold yet personal, pairing handwritten text with strong sans-serifs, visuals eschew traditional sport motifs and speak to a softer, more nature-inspired design system that echoes the Colorado way of life.
“We wanted to specifically tie the visuals to the natural landscape of the state,” says Wunder Werkz designer Madison Van Ausdall. “Colorado has iconic visuals that were important to us to highlight such as the pine trees, mountains, and color palette that reflects the changing of seasons. Doing this allowed us to immediately connect the effort to launch the team to the community that will support it.”
Also central to the effort was a series of pre-addressed cards given to supporters – designed to be sent to Denver’s new mayor as part of an influence campaign. Signed by locals at World Cup watch parties and other events, more than 1,000 of these postcards were delivered to the mayor’s office demonstrating the passionate level of support the initiative quickly earned.
For Wunder Werkz, the campaign was more than a creative opportunity, but a chance to empower others and help them reflect their pride in their local community. “Denver is our home, so we had a really good understanding of what makes this place special and how to capture it,” says partner Jon Hartman. “The fact that we were were able to successfully create a soccer brand in a way that felt fresh and inventive, while still being rooted in place, is extremely satisfying.”
