Repositioning an overlooked legacy into a modern symbol of soccer greatness.
The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy.
The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy has been around since 1967. It’s the most prestigious award in collegiate soccer—and if you knew that, congrats, you’re in rare company. Despite a stacked list of winners and nearly six decades of history, the brand had little public recognition and even less strategic direction.
It looked and felt like an award stuck in time. So we changed that.
Etching legends in history.
Through my role at Elasticity, I led the rebrand from the ground up—including the stakeholder workshop, brand positioning, messaging platform, and full visual identity refresh.
I also oversaw the development of key brand expressions like the website, digital applications, and event materials. This wasn’t just a logo project—it was a full-scale repositioning of what the trophy stands for, how it communicates, and how it shows up in the world.
What We Built
We started by getting alignment. I led a collaborative brand workshop with stakeholders from the Missouri Athletic Club to dig into the trophy’s history, goals, and identity. From that session, we developed a new brand position centered around a simple but powerful idea:
Etching legends in history.
That became the north star for everything else—from messaging structure to design tone to voice.
We created a crest-style identity system that nods to international soccer heritage while feeling sharp and collegiate. We built a flexible visual language with event and digital use in mind. And we launched the new brand with a fully redesigned website, updated storytelling, and clearer UX—finally giving the trophy a presence worthy of its legacy.
Legends Start Here
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Branded Pin
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Official Letterhead
Why It Mattered
This project repositioned the Hermann Trophy not just as an annual award, but as an ongoing institution—one that honors history, inspires young athletes, and reinforces St. Louis as a soccer city. It now has the foundation to grow awareness, expand reach, and attract future partnerships.
And more importantly: it finally looks and sounds like the award it always claimed to be.
