Fox Valley Forge SC
Brand & Style Guide
Version 1.0 — January 2026
Brand & Style Guide
Version 1.0 — January 2026
"A unified, community-rooted club with professional standards — designed to develop players, people, and pathways without forcing families into an all-or-nothing youth-sports lifestyle."
Fox Valley Forge SC — Brand Positioning Statement
Fox Valley Forge SC exists to be the premier, community-rooted performance pathway for the entire Fox Valley corridor. We keep the community DNA that built local soccer, while offering a clear, vertically integrated pathway from first kick to college and beyond.
One Valley. One Pathway. — A unified club that combines heritage and credibility with professionalized coaching and accessible, tiered playing options so families never have to leave the valley to find the right level.
Decades of serving Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and surrounding communities. Hundreds of college players, thousands of local kids shaped by the game.
Licensed coaching, unified curriculum, age-appropriate training methodology, and a single style of play across all ages and levels.
Two clear pathways under one roof — Performance and Community-Competitive — so every family finds the right fit without compromise.
Character, academic support, leadership, and mental health alongside performance. Multi-sport tolerance and flexible expectations for real families.
Fox Valley Forge SC occupies a strategic position in the suburban Illinois youth soccer landscape: the elite local choice. We sit between the national-platform super-clubs (MLS Next, ECNL, Girls Academy) and purely recreational park-district programs.
Key Differentiator: Families no longer need to choose between a community club and an elite one. Fox Valley Forge is both — high-level soccer without driving into the city three times a week.
The Fox Valley Forge SC identity is built on a shield-based crest system featuring the fox — a symbol of intelligence, agility, and regional identity. The crest conveys strength, tradition, and competitive ambition while the fox grounds the brand in the Fox Valley community.
The primary crest features a fox in profile within a layered shield. "Fox Valley" arches above, "Forge" dominates the center in bold display type, and "SC" anchors the base alongside a soccer ball. This is the default logo for all official communications.
On White
Default usage for print & digital
On Navy
Preferred dark background
The compact crest omits the "Fox Valley" wordmark, making it ideal for small-format applications where legibility is limited — favicons, app icons, social profile images, embroidery, and tight print placements. The shield, fox, and "Forge SC" remain fully intact.
On White
Icons, avatars & tight placements
On Navy
Dark background variant
The Rec/Kids crest features a forward-facing fox — more playful and approachable. "Forge" is bolder and more prominent with the "Fox Valley" text arching above. This variant is used for recreational programs, youth camps, and community-first communications aimed at younger players and families.
On White
Youth programs & community events
On Navy
Dark background variant
| Context | Logo | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official documents, letterhead, contracts | Primary Logo (With Fox Valley) | Always full-color on white |
| Performance pathway teams | Primary Logo (With Fox Valley) | Jerseys, training gear, tournament banners |
| Recreational & youth programs | Rec/Kids Logo | Community events, camp flyers, youth gear |
| Website & social media headers | Primary Logo (With Fox Valley) | Headers, watermarks, general brand presence |
| Favicons, app icons, social profile images | Compact Logo (No Fox Valley) | Small-format; "Fox Valley" text becomes illegible |
| Embroidery & tight print placements | Compact Logo (No Fox Valley) | Hats, bags, small patches |
| Youth social content & family outreach | Rec/Kids Logo | Fun, approachable contexts |
| Merchandise & fan gear | Context-dependent | Never mix logo variants on a single item |
Always maintain a minimum clear space around the logo equal to the height of the "SC" text within the crest. No other graphic elements, text, or imagery should intrude into this zone.
Minimum Size: The primary logo should never be reproduced smaller than 40px tall in digital or 0.5 inches in print to ensure legibility of the fox and type elements.
The official logo package includes all three logo variants in PDF, PNG, and SVG formats — suitable for print, digital, and embroidery applications.
Included in the package (9 files):
forge-logo-w-fox-valley-23jan2026 — PDF, PNG, SVG
forge-logo-no-fox-valley-23jan2026 — PDF, PNG, SVG
forge-logo-rec-23jan2026 — PDF, PNG, SVG
The Fox Valley Forge SC palette draws from the crest: deep navy for authority and tradition, crimson for competitive fire and energy, and gold for excellence and aspiration. Together, they project a club that is both rooted and ambitious.
Use tints to create depth and hierarchy in layouts. Tints are created at 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90% of the original value.
Follow the 60/25/15 rule for balanced compositions. Navy dominates, crimson accents, gold highlights.
Accessibility Note: White text on Forge Navy meets WCAG AAA contrast (ratio 16.3:1). White text on Forge Crimson meets WCAG AA (ratio 5.8:1). Always test combinations to ensure minimum 4.5:1 contrast for body text.
The type system pairs a bold, athletic display face with a clean, readable body font. This combination reflects the club's dual identity: competitive strength and community accessibility.
Used for headlines, titles, navigation, and all-caps display elements. Oswald's condensed, bold character echoes the angular confidence of the shield crest.
Used for body copy, descriptions, UI elements, and extended reading. Source Sans 3 is highly legible across screen and print, and its humanist design keeps communications warm and approachable.
Fox Valley Forge SC speaks as a confident, welcoming leader — not a gatekeeper. The voice should feel like a respected coach: clear, encouraging, direct, and invested in each player's individual journey.
We know who we are and what we offer. We state it plainly without needing to tear down competitors or oversell outcomes.
We actively invite families in. We don't just say "all are welcome" — we design programs, pricing, and language that prove it.
We operate at a high standard but talk like real people. No jargon, no buzzwords, no cold institutional tone.
Every message centers the player's experience and growth. Results and badges are outcomes of good development, not ends in themselves.
| Context | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment / Marketing | Inspiring, aspirational | "Your player's next chapter starts here." |
| Registration / Admin | Clear, helpful, warm | "Spring registration is open. Here's what you need to know." |
| Game Day / Results | Energetic, proud | "What a battle. Proud of every player who wore the shield tonight." |
| Youth / Rec Programs | Fun, encouraging, playful | "Lace up, bring a friend, and get ready to have a blast." |
| College / Pathway | Credible, supportive, honest | "We prepare players for whatever path fits them best." |
| Internal / Coach Comms | Direct, respectful, unified | "Here's the plan for this weekend. Reach out if you have questions." |
Visual content should reinforce the brand pillars: community, development, and accessible excellence. Photography is the most powerful way to show — not just tell — what Fox Valley Forge SC stands for.
Capture real training, real games, real celebrations. Avoid overly staged or stock-photo-style poses. Movement, effort, and joy should dominate.
Show the full range of the club: all ages (U4 through U19), all genders, all skill levels. Rec kids and performance players both deserve the spotlight.
Families on the sideline, coaches mentoring, teams bonding, post-game high-fives. These moments are as important as highlight-reel goals.
When possible, feature recognizable local landmarks, fields, and settings that ground the club in its geography and community.
The club's program tiers form a visible development pyramid. Each tier has a clear identity while sharing the unified Forge brand. Programs should feel distinct in tone but unmistakably connected.
| Program | Ages | Logo | Color Emphasis | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forge Futures Foundation / First Kick |
U4 – U8 | Rec/Kids Logo | Gold + Navy | Fun, playful, welcoming |
| Forge Community Community-Competitive |
U8 – U19 | Rec/Kids Logo | Navy + Gold | Encouraging, team-focused |
| Forge Performance Performance Pathway |
U11 – U19 | Primary Logo | Navy + Crimson | Competitive, driven, aspirational |
| Forge College Prep College & Career Support |
U15 – U19 | Primary Logo | Navy + Gold | Credible, supportive, honest |
All programs and teams lead with the "Forge" name to maintain brand unity:
Unified Identity Rule: Never use legacy organization names (Campton United, Strikers Fox Valley) in any new materials. The merger narrative is forward-looking: "We merged to lead, not to survive."
Consistent application of the brand across all touchpoints builds recognition and trust. Below are guidelines for the most common applications.
Home — Navy
Away — White
Alt — Crimson
Rec — Gold
Navy background, Oswald headlines, gold accent text, crimson divider. Clean, bold, minimal.
White front with navy type and gold divider. Logo on back over navy background.
Navy header with gold category label, Oswald title. Body in Source Sans on white with crimson CTAs.
Protecting the brand means being clear about what not to do. The following are common violations that dilute the Fox Valley Forge SC identity.
Do not stretch or distort the logo proportions
Do not rotate or tilt the logo
Do not reduce opacity below 80% or use as a watermark
Do not change the logo colors or apply filters
Do not place the logo on busy or clashing backgrounds
Soccer!
Do not add text, shapes, or effects to the logo
Enter the password to view the Fox Valley Forge brand guide.
Digital & Social Media
Social media is the club's most visible communication channel. Consistency here directly impacts how families perceive Fox Valley Forge SC. Every post should feel like it came from the same club.
Social Template Example
Game Day Announcement
Forge Performance 2012 Girls vs. Galaxy SC
Saturday 10:00 AM — Valley Field Complex
Social Profile Setup
Content Pillars
Training & Development
Weekly training clips, drills, coaching philosophy insights. Shows the "professional standards" pillar in action.
Player & Alumni Spotlights
College commits, high-school standouts, alumni stories, coach features. Validates the pathway without overpromising.
Game Day & Results
Match announcements, live updates, post-game recaps. Energetic, proud tone regardless of score.
Community & Culture
Community service, team bonding, family events, behind-the-scenes. The "community DNA" pillar brought to life.
Hashtags
Website Guidelines