Maryland's Department of Parks & Rec. was developing a Youth Sports Strategic Plan for Prince George’s County to create new sports programs, strengthen existing programs while improving facilities for the next generation of athletes. To grow as a community, they needed input from everyone – young people, parents, families, coaches, and community leaders. 

 

We were tasked to design a cohesive project brand and marketing strategy to externalize the Strategic Plan, for all communications supporting the engagement process. The desire was to establish a bold, vibrant look for youth sports that feels approachable and empowering. With a focus on social equity, we crafted inclusive messaging and eye-catching visuals to raise public awareness, position the Youth Sports Strategic Plan as relevant, and encourage meaningful participation from a broad spectrum of community members. To make the strategic planning process more accessible and inviting, especially for youth, the Youth Sports Strategic Plan was named “GAME ON.”

 

A visual system was designed—in essence, a project brand—that references the stripes, patterns, and geometric motifs of sports facilities, such as lines on a football field, paint on a basketball court, lanes in a swimming pool, and more. The vibrant color palette sparks curiosity aiming to foster active engagement. The graphics are integrated with active photographs of young athletes in Prince George’s County and paired with bold, chiseled typography associated with sports