Portland Thorns FC is a professional women’s soccer club based in Portland, Oregon, that began play in 2013 in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The club’s visual identity is built around a circular crest that connects the team to Portland’s identity as the “Rose City,” featuring a stylized rose surrounded by a wreath of thorns.
Design and History
The Portland Thorns FC crest was created by Portland artist Brent Diskin, an avid local soccer supporter and member of the Timbers Army supporters group. The club revealed its name and official crest on December 13, 2012, ahead of its inaugural 2013 season. The original circular badge featured team colors of red, green and black, with a protective wreath of thorns surrounding a stylized rose in the center.[1]
Diskin said he deliberately avoided imagery that could be considered too “girly” or “cartoony,” explaining that “the combination of symbolism and simplicity is meant to inform all that this is a professional team that means serious business.”[2]
The crest underwent a color simplification in 2018. The design of the wreath of thorns surrounding a single rose remained the same, but the color scheme was reduced to just red and white.[3]
The club’s original black, red and green crest has been referred to as the “Heritage mark” in club communications. It returned for the 2023 away kit, which was the first Thorns FC jersey to feature a centered crest.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The crest’s central rose and surrounding thorns directly reference the team name and Portland’s long-standing reputation as the “Rose City” or “City of Roses.”[1]
The badge also incorporates city-inspired details: a pair of four-pointed stars, or hypocycloids, house the letters “F” and “C” and anchor the sides of the badge. This is a callout to the left-centered, directional star prominent on Portland’s official city flag.[1]
Following the club’s 2013 NWSL championship, a single red star was added to the crest to note the title.[5] The club’s three championship stars (for the 2013, 2017 and 2022 NWSL titles) have also been incorporated into jersey artwork, as seen on the 2023 away kit.[6]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
