We Are Sports Petersburg is a brand that originated with a slogan coined by St Petersburg’s Committee on Sports and Physical Education. The brand epitomised the ethos of the slogan and became the visual representation of its key messages: unity, a passion for sports in all of its forms, and the focus on a specific region — St Petersburg. These are the three main ideas behind the brand’s essence: the project’s aim is to create a community of athletes to unite St Petersburg’s sports enthusiasts and popularise sport among its citizens. The agency’s task was to come up with a comprehensive design solution that would build on the positioning platform of the brand We Are Sports Petersburg, in particular, to craft the brand’s visual identity and a merchandise line. The brand’s mission is to ensure that St Petersburg’s citizens have a zero threshold for entry in terms of joining the community of mass sports enthusiasts. The logo is a stylised representation of an athlete. The ‘arm wave’ is a metaphor of water, the sea and the Neva River, as well as the drawbridges that span the city’s waterways and have long become an integral part of its identity. In addition, the overall design resembles the Russian letter “П” (for “Петербург”, the city’s name in Russian) that makes yet another powerful reference to the brand’s provenance. The logo’s centre line works both as a sturdy frame and a symbol of self-actualisation, enthusiasm and energy. It gives the visual identity a more classic look and pays homage to the rich sporting heritage of both St Petersburg and Leningrad. The colours — these are quite unusual for the realm of sport — are yet another reference to the city’s vibes. The recommended backgrounds include sombre, dark and smoky hues inspired by the colours of St Petersburg’s famous paving stones and imperial façades.