Sports Commerce Institute | Visual Identity Design

Welcome to the Sports Commerce Institute — Africa’s first business school dedicated to the commercial side of sport. Built for young professionals, athletes, and future leaders, SCI offers forward-thinking education in sponsorship, branding, media, and strategy. The brand identity system reflects SCI’s mission: bold yet structured, modern yet timeless, proudly African and globally relevant. From the Platform Play symbol to the confident tone of voice, this project lays the foundation for an institution ready to lead the next era of sport on the continent.

Credits

Creative Direction: Siya Nzimande

Brand Design & Strategy: Siya Nzimande

Project Consultant: Tristan Nzimande

Creative Agency: Stay Striving Studio

Client: Sports Commerce Institute, founded by Gaironeeza & Demi Maclobo

Special thanks to Njabs Nzimande of Less Mundane Studio for his insight, feedback, and support

The Platform Play Symbol

The Platform Play symbol is the foundation of the SCI identity — a structured yet abstract mark that visualizes the layered nature of sport, education, and progress. Inspired by the forms of stadium architecture, academic pillars, and running tracks, it captures the idea of elevation through structure.

The journey to this mark involved multiple explorations — from monograms to vertical stacks to hybrid glyphs — but ultimately, we returned to the core idea: SCI exists to create platforms. For careers. For sports. For ideas. The final form is bold, balanced, and built for motion — symbolic of a new kind of institution shaping Africa’s sports economy.

Color Theory

The SCI color palette is a layered system of ambition, clarity, and control — designed to flex across digital and print without losing its voice. Tyrian Purple brings depth, heritage, and academic weight, nodding to tradition while reimagining it for a new kind of institution. Cinnabar delivers bold energy and urgency, used selectively to capture attention while maintaining a sense of premium restraint. Midnight Green serves as the brand’s grounding tone — stable, intelligent, and quietly authoritative, anchoring key brand moments. Mint Green adds contrast and lightness, offering a digital-forward freshness that keeps the identity clean and modern. Framed by Pure Black and Pure White, which maximize legibility and structure, the system comes together with both emotion and precision — a reflection of a brand that’s as bold in its thinking as it is grounded in its purpose.

Typography System

SCI’s typography system is clean, confident, and editorial. At the core is Neue Montreal Bold, a typeface chosen for its modern tone and structural integrity. It carries institutional weight without feeling cold — perfect for headlines, core brand lines, and high-impact moments.

Supporting it is Satoshi, a versatile sans serif used for body copy, labels, and subtext. Satoshi offers clarity and calm — giving the brand space to breathe while still feeling digital-native and design-forward. Together, this type pairing speaks with intelligence, ambition, and just enough edge.

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A Stay Striving Studio™ project.

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