Defining a Hooligan

What’s a “Hooligan?”

The Hudson Street Hooligans is an official fan club of the Columbus Crew, a Major League Soccer franchise.  A gritty, rough and tumble group, they had always handled their web presence and image in-house, via club volunteers.  Wanting to appear more organized and professional, they sought help.  A redesign of the Hudson Street Hooligans’ website also required fresh copy to replace the many years’ worth of patched together sections written by dozens of committee members.

Creative Brief

Explaining what the group is and what their brand stands for needed to appeal to three distinct audiences.  First, it needed to spell out exactly what the club is to potential sponsors and partners who may not even be aware that soccer clubs have official supporters’ groups.  Second, it needed to appeal to potential members and casual soccer fans, as well as those looking to learn more about the game, its culture, and the fan traditions.  And finally, it needed to be a fiery stump speech for die-hard fans who could point to the Hooligans’ description and use it as a declaration for their passion.

The About Us I wrote still lives right on the homepage, greeting MLS fans and other teams’ supporter groups from around the world whenever they visit the home of their Columbus counterparts.

Click to visit the HSH site

Merch Help

A t-shirt I had previously designed for club consideration in late 2011 was varied to became that year’s official membership shirt.  While the design is bold but simple, the accompanying rationale for the shirt sold it to club leaders.