Independent trainers run their business across spreadsheets, Venmo and Instagram DMs while big clubs have real software. The brand had to say "we see you, you deserve powerful tools too" - bold and premium, never a scrappy startup.
It had to work for two audiences at once - trainers running a business and parents booking sessions - and support a pre-raise positioning.
Goals
01Look as serious as the big clubs
02Speak to trainers and parents
03Support a pre-raise positioning
02 - The idea
The underdogs do not wait for momentum, they create it - so the mark is a U in forward motion.
03 - Approach
Key decisions and why
The mark is an athletic U in forward motion: parallel strokes accelerate and break into one solid form - the journey from overlooked to undeniable. An italic lowercase wordmark keeps it fast and friendly.
Electric blue carries the brand, with black and white for a premium base and a sports palette - Victory Cyan, Rising Flame and Energy Lime - for data and moments of progress in the dashboards.
Decision 01
Parallel strokes into one form
Speed lines accelerate and land as a solid U - the journey from overlooked to undeniable.
Decision 02
Italic lowercase wordmark
Fast, athletic and friendly, built to read well on screens.
Decision 03
Electric blue
One confident colour that owns the brand across app, web and merchandise.
Decision 04
A sports palette for data
Cyan, flame and lime mark progress, payments and goals in the dashboards.
04 - The system
The work, up close.
01
Idea & logo
An athletic U in forward motion - from overlooked to undeniable.
Underdog brand idea - from overlooked to undeniable
Underdog symbol constructionUnderdog wordmark construction
02
Brand guidelines
Logo, clearspace, variations, a bold sports palette and type.
Underdog brand guidelines cover
Underdog logo explainedUnderdog clearspace
Underdog logo variationsUnderdog colour selection
Underdog colour pairingUnderdog primary typeface
Underdog app icon on a phone
03
The live website
underdogplatform.com - one platform for trainers, academies and parents.
Mobile
05 - Outcome
What changed
Underdog launched with a complete identity, guidelines and product visuals for the trainer and parent dashboards and the website - a brand that looks as serious as the clubs it competes with.
