TACOMA, WA— The Western Indoor Soccer League liked the logo built for us by Viking Design Studio so much that we put it to work right away — even before the very final touches could be put on it and a press release could be written to introduce it.

Now’s the time for that release, and we want to start by letting Timothy Hamilton of Viking Design Studio talk about his design. Hamilton is the graphic artist behind the Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA) logo that has helped that outdoor circuit share its message and mission.

“We wanted to create a logo that represented Washington State and indoor soccer, but was visually distinct from the Evergreen Premier League’s logo. So instead of using a map of the state, we started with the state flag — simplified to its basic shapes. We then used the simplified seal on the flag as the center circle for an indoor soccer field.”

From there it was a matter of looking at the pitch in a new way—from a new angle—just like the WISL seeks to do.

“This flag/field is set at an angle with perspective to capture the dynamic and fast-paced nature of indoor soccer,” Hamilton explains.

“We’re honored to be part of a new chapter of Washington’s indoor soccer history. We hope that teams, players, and fans of indoor soccer here in Washington embrace this league as their own.”

The WISL (it can be pronounced “whistle”) movement gained steam after the outdoor Evergreen Premier League made its debut this spring and summer as another outlet for owners and talented players. Several of the people and clubs involved in the successful launch of that grass-roots league are also involved with the creation of the WISL.

The league is committed to sustainability and using local indoor arenas as venues. “We want to build a community of indoor soccer hotbeds where players can compete and fans can support their local clubs from the stands during our sometimes long Northwest winters,” says Crouch. “It’s vital for us to make our league good business sense for owners of clubs and owners of arenas.”

In the coming weeks and months the Western Indoor Soccer League will be taking club applications, networking with referee associations to establish meaningful training sessions and open lines of communications, announcing a final line-up of clubs, and revealing a schedule for the season.

“We love the WISL logo,” says WISL Communications Director David Falk. “It’s fresh, shows movement and action, and sends the message that we mean business. We are sure that our clubs, players and fans will be proud of it as the league symbol. Our league could well stretch beyond our state borders, but its movement has its roots in Washington.”