About a week before I left (and a few days before the tournament kicked off), I started trading emails with Curt Nickisch, a reporter and producer for National Public Radio's affiliate in Boston, WBUR. With Clean Sheet Co.'s World Cup-themed shirts about to hit maximum relevancy, Curt was interested in hearing about my perspective as a local Boston designer with a bit of soccer passion. (It didn't hurt that he happened to be a die-hard footie fan too.)
Curt dropped by Clean Sheet Co. HQ the next day, a very humid evening in early June. After a nice conversation and some well-considered editing (I do tend to go on), this was the awesome result.
Of course, by the time it hit the airwaves in Boston, I was already in Natal, Brazil, getting ready to watch Clint, John and the gang make an entire country pretty proud. Over a spotty wi-fi connection, I got notes from friends and family that they had heard me on the radio (turns out it's a surefire way to impress the parents), and Clean Sheet Co.'s 32 Nations line saw a huge spike in traffic and in sales.
By the time it hit the airwaves in Boston, I was already in Natal.
Since I had gone away, I had put the site in "vacation mode", mentioning that orders wouldn't be shipping for a few weeks - but amazingly, that didn't stop people. The whole experience was wonderful, and it really helped cement my love for what we're doing over at Clean Sheet Co. Now that the Cup is over, we've just started getting some new stuff ready – hopefully some of it is radio worthy!
Anyway, since I never got to really crow about it when it happened – or formally thank Curt and WBUR for having me on – I'd like to officially do so now.
(And hey, WBUR – if the It's Only A Game guys need some material – or some shirts – you know where to find me!)
I’m no longer surprised by just how many of you drop by to check out these little design projects I work up, but I am more flattered than I’ve ever been. I started working on 32 Nations more than a year ago - before it had a name, or a focal point (the upcoming World Cup). It was just a design exercise, and it was my baby. Though other design projects I’d worked on had been well received, I can look back and realize everything had been leading to 32 Nations. Clean Sheet Co., my now-year-old apparel business, sprung directly from this project - as soon as I started to see where the designs were headed, I knew I wanted to make these shirts and give people the chance to buy and wear them. More than a year after starting the process, that’s what’s happening - and it's a great feeling.
The response to the shirts has been really satisfying - both the feedback and the business I’ve received. I owe a special thanks to all the 32 Nations pre-orderers: I was pretty sure a US-themed shirt would sell (we'd done it before), and I could have predicted a handful of other designs would be popular, but I wasn’t sure if there would be a market for all 32 teams out there. You guys proved that there was. Thanks for making my shot in the dark look prescient! Suffice to say: the production process has begun, and your shirts will be on the way soon. (If you want to join the elite group of 32 Nations wearers, get your order in by February 7 - more on that in a second.)
I’d also like to thank the folks who have given 32 Nations and Clean Sheet some awesome visibility. To my great pleasure, this project has spanned the soccer, design, and fashion spectrum. Under Consideration's Brand New, perhaps the most revered design critique website out there, featured 32 Nations both online and - how cool is this - in their print quarterly.
I republished the project on Medium, an emerging blogging platform for well-considered content, and ESPN FC picked up the series and published it under its curated World Cup Stories collection. It’s been thrilling to get feedback from a large audience I might not have reached otherwise. UniWatch, everyone’s favorite sartorial-sports site (and a friend to my work), gave 32 Nations a writeup, which always makes us feel part of a large community of folks who care about the designed side of sports. And Kckrs, one of our favorite soccer fashion destinations, gave the project a fantastic full-page spread. Awesome.
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
The project has been tweeted, blogged, hashtagged, liked, re-pinned, and favorited more times than I can count. I sincerely appreciate every last bit of time you guys took to sharing this project with others - it means the world to me. Thank you.
POWER RANKINGS
When you release 32 different things at once, you’re going to get some interesting data back. Most intriguing to me? The popularity of each design. To figure it out, I sketched up a little exercise: I ranked each shirt from 1 to 32 by a) number of people who’d visited its page on the Clean Sheet Co. website, and b) number of shirts that have been purchased to date. Because purcahses carry a bit more importance than views, I doubled the weight of a purchase in the equation.
Ranked by a weighted mix of viewing and purcahsing, here are the top 10 most popular designs:
USA
Cameroon
Germany
England
The Netherlands
Brazil
Spain
Australia
Belgium
Italy
Mexico, Argentina and France follow just behind this top ten. The US is on home turf, of course, and the rest are a mix of traditional soccer powers, English-speaking countries and (I must believe) designs that people liked the best. In the cases of Cameroon and Belgium, I’m particularly sure that the designs helped elevate their ranking.
ONE LANGUAGE: FÚTBOL.
With national-themed designs, it makes sense to meet partisan audiences on their own terms. English can only take you so far. I debuted translations for each of the 32 Nations shirts earlier in January, and the feedback has been quite positive. We have 15 languages on the site now - everything from Arabic to Bosnian to Spanish to Japanese - and it’s been a thrill seeing the project connect with native speakers of all kinds. Just because I think it’s fun, here’s the same sentence (“The_____ Shirt is part of the 32 Nations project”) in every different language we offer.
A Camisa Brasil é parte do projeto de 32 nações (Portuguese)
Hrvatska majica je dio projekta 32 Nacije (Croatian)
La playera de México es parte del proyecto de 32 naciones (Spanish)
Le T-shirt du Cameroun fait partie du projet des 32 Nations (French)
Het Netherlands T-shirt is onderdeel van het 32 landen project (Dutch)
Το Ελληνικό μπλουζάκι είναι μέρος της συλλογής των 32 Χωρών (Greek)
日本のシャツは32カ国プロジェクトの一つです (Japanese)
La maglia da gioco dell’Italia è parte del progetto 32 Nations (Italian)
Das Schweiz Trikot ist Teil des 32-Nationen Projekts (German)
Majica Bosne i Hercegovine je dio projekta 32 Nacije (Bosnian)
한국 공화국 셔츠는 32 Nations Project (Korean)
تی شرت تیم ملی فوتبال ایران بعنوان یکی از 32 تیم شرکت کننده در جام جهانی (Farsi)
32 قميص الجزائر هو جزء من المشروع الأمم (Arabic)
Футболка Россия является одним из 32 национальныльных проектов (Russian)
There’s one more easter egg dialect on the site. I’ll let you guys find it.
QUESTIONS? ANSWERS.
There’s been no shortage of questions, feedback, and dialog generated by 32 Nations readers. Here are some of the items I’ve been getting consistently.
When do the shirts ship?
We’ve just started the production process, which usually takes a few weeks. They will ship right after that - sometime later in February is what we’re aiming for.
Is there still time to order?
Yes, but not much. We order almost exactly as many shirts as we need, with only a few extras in each design. When the pre-order period ends, we’ll take all the shirts off sale, finish making them, and ship them out to orderers. Any leftovers will be put back up for sale, but there won’t be many. The bottom line: if you want any of the 32 Nations designs, order by Friday, February 7. That’s the last day we’ll take pre-orders. After that, you’ll be taking your chances.
Like a 32 Nations shirt? Click this button to order:
32 Nations Shirts at Clean Sheet Co. »
How do the shirts fit?
Really nicely. They’re comfy and (from my experience) they’ll definitely take a spot in your “favorite t-shirt” rotation along with the old heather-grey pocket T and that Furthur Fest concert shirt from ’96. If you’d like exact sizing, you can see the Clean Sheet sizing page. One other trick might be useful as well: Clean Sheet uses the same shirt stock as American Apparel. If you’d like to guage your fit, and you can get to an American Apparel store, try on their Jersey T (model #2001) - it will match exactly, in feel and size, to Clean Sheet Co. shirts.
When are you going to make a [my favorite country] shirt?
We have big plans at Clean Sheet Co., and your favorite country is probably included! As soon as we have the 32 Nations shirts out to our early orderers, we’ll see about new countries. Among many others, I’ve had a ton of requests for Ireland, Scotland, the Nordic countries, and Canada. (Basically, everywhere up near the Arctic, I guess? Go figure.) We hear you, and we’ll definitely be making shirts for you very soon. And that goes for other places too - maybe states, provinces, cities... we're figuring it out as we go.
What about my favorite club team?
We make shirts inspired by all kinds of things - and though we don’t make club shirts by name, our Color T line is inspired by some of the great color combinations found in the global game. Look for more Color T options soon that match up with the colors that inspire you to be a fan.
Can my I outfit my own team in Clean Sheet shirts?
Yep, that’s another thing the Color T series is great for, and we've already set a few teams up. Give us a holler ([email protected]) for bulk purchasing prices or to ask about new color combinations.
I know somebody who might want to sell these in their store.
That would rock. Same deal - you can find us at [email protected] for all retail inquiries.
When the #$@#$@$@# are The Pasdena and the The Gadsden coming back??
Many questions surrounded the designs for specific countries. On Mexico:
Why the luchador theme?
I liked the visual, also how (in this particular design) it dovetailed with the fascinating tradition of calavera (decorated skulls). I know it might seem a bit clichéd to some, but then, so is wearing a big Uncle Sam hat and stars-and-stripes suspenders as a US fan. Sometimes (at least to me) it’s just fun to indulge the fun side of our national identities.
On Iran:
That design (with kufic script) might not represent all Iranians.
Totally fair point. I went with the national jersey as an inspiration, which uses almost all of the same design cues as the shirt I designed does (the white base, the colors, and the flag with kufic script on the crest). But I’ve learned a lot about the culture from this project and will continue to roll that in to future designs.
On Portugal:
The “7” could be a little too reverential to C. Ronaldo.
I have to be honest - discovering a “7” in the Portugal design was a total act of serendipity; I didn’t design the shirt that way or even notice it for a long time. When I was writing the capsule on Portugal I threw it in there as a little “extra” tidbit - because it was a nice discovery, and because I do actually believe no team will rely on one player more than Portugal on CR7. But to be clear, the design idea stands alone and is not based on Cristiano.
On Australia:
Dude! Boxing kanaroos are so 1983!
I had some fun with the Australia design, and it’s been pretty popular. As with Mexico, there’s a light-hearted spirit that tumbles through some of the designs, and that works perfectly with how I feel on gameday (i.e., as a US fan, wanting to throw on every piece of red, white and blue clothing I own.) Australia’s team is known as the Socceroos - surely a stray pair of boxing gloves doesn’t conflict to harshly!
THIS CLOSE
A few teams almost made the final 32, but fell just short. I had prototype designs in the works for them just in case. For fun, here are a few (in various stages of completion):
Iceland
If you read the Rules piece, you’ve seen this design. I really liked how it came out, and really wished Iceland would have made it. It will be on sale soon.
New Zealand
It doesn’t get simpler, or more beautiful, than the New Zealand fern and a silver, white and black color scheme.
Sweden
Similar to Iceland, but a bit more minimal, I was hoping for Sweden to make the field so I could use a navy base. Maybe next time.
Burkina Faso
This one was still in the idea stage when the Burkina Faso dream died. I liked where it was headed, though.
Ukraine
I worked on this one, on and off, for a while, and it looked for all the world like I’d be using some variation of it, too - but France just wouldn’t give up. The Ukrainian trident is a brilliant national symbol to design with.
Alternative & "Second" Shirts
Though the final 32 shirts I published are meant to stand alone, at various points I entertained alternative or second versions of many. For instance, I worked on putting England in a cream heritage-white (similar to recent traditional shirts the team has worn), Brazil in royal blue (it looked amazing), Ghana in white (their traditional color), the Netherlands in black (very intimidating), and the USA in navy (which has grown into an important color for the squad and its fans).
Some of these shirts might still see the light of day - find me on Twitter, or by email, to let me know if you’d be interesting in wearing any of these designs (or design concepts). If we get any big responses, we’ll make it happen.
SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU.
The project has been one of the highlights of my year, and my career as a designer. Please drop by any time, here or over at Clean Sheet Co., for more design work. And remember, if you want a 32 Nations shirt, order by Friday, Febrary 7! (Really: when they’re gone, they’re gone.)
Much more, from Clean Sheet Co. and from me, to come.
32 Nations, Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic
Well, here we are. About three weeks and 32 teams later, together we've explored, debated and discussed the visual identities of all 32 Nations participating in the 2014 World Cup - and we've created a unique design for each one. I hope you've enjoyed it; I know I have. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we still have one group to go. Not to be overlooked all the way at the back of the draw, Group H is an interesting mix of countries.
Belgium is trending upward, and is a consensus dark-horse World Cup finalist. With a talented, young team, a seed, a not-so-intimidating group and potentially the easiest path the the finals, they are a team to keep an eye on. Algeria didn't qualify easily, but they have experience and, thanks to Landon Donovan, motivation. Russia are looking ahead to 2018 when they will host, but they survived a bruising European qualifying campaign, and look like potential knockout-rounders. And Korea Republic always seem to come up big in big spots - powered by their incredible fans - and there's no reason to think they won't again.
Group H is an exciting, and fitting, way to conclude our series. Let's go:
Belgium
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
Belgium is an interesting case - they're a seeded team, unquestionably a global power, and yet they've arrived so quickly on the world stage it's easy to overlook them. This goes for their on-field ability - with young talents like Mignolet, Fellaini and Lukaku, they possess the tools to play with everyone and beat anyone - and for their visual identity, which is beautiful, but which has been buried beneath other European rivals for several generations.
No longer. Belgium's black, yellow and red are ready to make a statement in Brazil. Though the nation shares, loosely, a set of colors with their German neighbors, they utilize them quite differently; where the Germans let white and black dominate, Belgium elevate red to a dominant, first-choice color and make black the second-in-command. This gives their look a rich, classic glow instead of Germany's somewhat brisk, cold sheen. The Belgium Shirt begins with the team's first-choice red - and I used a fiery, warm red to match the Belgian color palette and suit the team that's known as the Red Devils. (Because it's Belgium, this phrase is normally rendered in at least three languages, but let's go with Rode Duivels because it sounds the coolest.)
Above that, I've used my favorite Belgian symbol, the rampant Belgian lion, which appears on the country's coat of arms and which the national team has worn above its heart. It's a striking image - regal and traditional, but also intimidating and modern - and I couldn't wait to use it for this project. (In its earliest forms, as a symbol for the Low Countries region, Leo Belgicus is also a brilliant piece of cartographic art.) The lion is rendered in darker, tonal red on top of the red base, to preserve the simplicity of the design and to honor the red look of the actual Belgian jersey. As a final touch, the lion's tail curls through the hole in the Clean Sheet crest, itself rendered in black (with a gold star) to complete the country's color family.
Belgium is primed to make 2014 a tournament to remember - and in the process, to make sure that the world doesn't forget about Belgian soccer for a long time to come.
Algeria
Get it at Clean Sheet Co. »
Algeria has a special place is every USA fan’s heart; The Donovan Goal was one of the happiest moments of my sporting life, and anytime I think about Algerian soccer, I’ll think about that game. Of course, Algeria has their own proud traditions to honor, which is what this shirt is all about. I hope my US-based perspective hasn’t gotten in the way too much.
The reality is that Algeria has a very cool visual story to tell. Some details:
They normally play in white, complimented by the colors of their flag, healthy, bright green and bold red.
The team is known as Les Fennecs - small, cool-looking desert foxes.
They have a beautiful national flag, a green and white bi-color with a bold red star and crescent at the center.
And of course, no exploration of Algerian visual identity would be complete without touching on the wonderful tradition of Northern African mosaic design; these intricate, endlessly interlocking patterns are a rich part of the country’s visual language, have even been referenced on the team’s uniforms.
This design had a lot of source material to work with, and I think it ended up coming together pretty harmoniously. Let’s start with the color scheme. The shirt’s base is an organic, rich white color. From there, the flag takes over; it’s elements are represented as if it was hanging vertically over the heart. White and green meet at the crest’s horizontal top border and the red crescent and star are centered on the design. The crescent and star play along with the Clean Sheet crest, the former interlocking with the shield, and the latter lining up perfectly with where the crest’s star would normally be.
There are a few other references. On the field of green, a zellige mosaic is reprented, breaking up the solid green into a detailed pattern. This intensifies the design’s North African feel; it also sets the stage for one last reference. There’s the face fennec fox staring right at you! Follow me if you don’t catch it: three sections of the mosaic are knocked back into white space; they create two eyes and nose. You’ll also see a second, supporting crest added in red; that helps define the ears. Take a look at a real fennec if you need some help seeing it - it’s an more an homage than a perfect portrait, but it’s definitely a fun way to get the Algerian team’s spirit animal into the design.
I hope it properly honors Algerian culture, and the team that represents it on the world’s stage. (And hey, Algeria, between you and me: we’ll always have Pretoria.)
Russia
Get it at Clean Sheet Co. »
This isn’t Russia’s time; not yet. Their party is scheduled to kick off in four and a half years, when they bring the World Cup back to Europe (kind of - is Russia in Europe?) and back to a traditional Northern Hemisphere summer (kind of - does Russia have summer?).
Are they a contender in 2014? I’m not sure much stock is being placed in their chances. It will be enough, in this Cup, if Russia build some good memeories and some emotional equity around their current look. You can’t go into a World Cup hosting cycle without a well-defined brand - even smaller soccer nations like South Africa, Korea and Japan had well-established visual identities when their time came to host the Cup. Some might say the one thing that the US excelled the best at in the 1994 Cup was presenting a (ahem) memorable brand. Everyone is well aware of Brazil’s national fútbol identity. But quick: what does the Russian team look like? What’s their color? What’s their style? For some countries this wouldn’t be a big deal; it’s not easy to answer these questions off the cuff for, say, Montenegro either, but then, Montenegro isn’t about to host a World Cup any time soon.
The issue, from my perspective, is that Russia keeps changing up their look. Whether this is down to Adidas, the national federation, quirks of history, or a guy named Yuri who throws darts at a color wheel, I can’t be certain. Briefly:
As the USSR, they played in red (of course), and though the shorts tended to change between shades of white, blue and black, until the 80s, the jersey was consistently red. One of the final Soviet jerseys, in fact, seemed to be splattered with the color - the blood of the workers, perhaps? By that time, entering the 90s, white was the Soviets’ first choice, and as that era drew to a close, it was hard to predict what identity the surviving core, Russia, would take on.
At least at first, the new Russian team kept the same look as the old Soviet Union, down to the exact template. But then things started to change. Blue - as in, the blue on the newly popular Russian flag - started to show up. First, it paired with the exisitng white jersey. Then it became the shirt color, in the mid 90s. Then, the team returned to white, but with primarily blue accents, not red.
Things stayed that way until the mid 00s, when red again became Russia’s first choice jersey, along with a fiery new gold crest. Then, just a few years later, it was on to a completely mind-bending shade of maroon, accented by gold, which had both a regal look and almost no connection to historic Russian colors. In the past few years, it’s been back to regular red; for 2014, it looks like the maroon and gold is back.
Got all that?
Counting the Soviet Union, this idenity has lept from red to white to blue to white to red to maroon to red to maroon. Accent colors not mentioned have included navy blue, black and gold. That’s a lot to process; I hope I’ve created a a tastefull design that weaves it all together.
The blue, white and red are there, as they should be - the Russian flag is a huge influence on the identity of the team - and together those colors define the look of the shield component of the Clean Sheet crest. Gold accents sit behind that, including a stylized interpretation of the winged bird on the current Russian crest. The entire shirt is a shade of crimson - not quite red, not quite out and out maroon - that splits the difference quite nicely. (I think the blue works especially well in this context, and I wouldn’t mind seeing the next maroon Russian jersey incorporate more blue - there’s a shortage of classic claret and blue on the international stage.)
2018 beckons; by then, fans around the world will be sizing Russia up. Do they have what it takes to do what Uruguay, Italy, England, Germany, Argentina and France have done? What Brazil expects to do this year? Can they win it all at home? They better have the team, and the brand, in place to meet those expectations.
Korea Republic
Get it at Clean Sheet Co. »
The 2002 US World Cup team established a high-water mark for American soccer - a quarterfinal run, a dominant performance against world power Portugal, a victory over Mexico when it mattered most, and a glorius encounter with Germany that could (should) have ended in victory. That team was balanced, skilled and wise, attributes that American squads didn’t always have; US teams normally relied on tactics, discipline, set plays and an incredibly high work rate to beat teams. The best thing about the ’02 squad was that they didn’t sacrifice any of the traditional US skills to add those new ones. They were still able to outwork teams (Portugal) as well as they were able to outthink and outclass them (Mexico).
I haven’t mentioned the most impressive match of the 2002 tournament for the US - but it should be easy to see where I’m going. The best result the US acheived in Korea (in my opinion) was holding the host team to a draw. Because as good a tournament as the US had, the Koreans had a better one; as surprising as the US run was, South Korea’s was even more unexpected. Quite simply, the Korean side was a force in the summer of 2002. Propelled by emerging talent, intense pride, and the manic energy generated by a nation of frenzied supporters, they ran through unsuspecting opponents all the way to the semifinals.
Waiting up for a 1:30am Eastern US/Korea kick-off, shaking off sleep more than once, I recall quite well the first time I saw, and heard, and felt, the Korean crowd coming through the TV. There was no dozing after that. The stadium in Daegu was a cauldron; the crowd a buzz-saw of red. American fans find European soccer crowds impressively coordinated - I have to think even jaded European fútbol fans must have found the Korean crowd intense. The entire arena - 60,000 people strong - acted one entity. They were The Reds.
And in case it wasn’t clear from their behavior and spirit, they all wore the same shirt to prove it. A bootleg, screen-printed shirt - Be The Reds!, it shouted in messy paintbrush script - became the only acceptable thing for Korean fans to sport during the tournament. The shirt was a phenomenon. When designing The Korea Republic Shirt, I wanted to pay homage to the team, the fanbase and to the special t-shirt that had already come to define the Korean national team.
So, just like the national team jersey, we started with red. Just like the famous BTR! shirt, I took that red and splashed white across it. Instead of spelling out “Reds”, though, I decided to reinterpret another potent symbol of Korean soccer - the white tiger. Found on the Korean Football Association’s crest, and even used from time to time in the jersey’s design, the white tiger and its stripes have a mythological resonance to Korean fans. The tiger’s tail, here, becomes a sash-like element that crosses the shirt, balancing it and recalling a bit of the haphazard, frenzied spirit that the Be The Reds shirt captured. The Clean Sheet crest accents the shirt in Korean blue.
When it comes to unofficial shirts, Korea has set the bar almost impossibly high. For the legions of Reds fans out there, here’s hoping this shirt is even a fraction as accepted and loved.
So, that's Group H - and with it, the entire 32 team World Cup field. We're done. It's been an honor; check back after the holidays for a post that sums up the project. Thanks a ton for reading and following along with the project! As always, all shirts are available for pre-order over at Clean Sheet; find me on Twitter for comments, and I'll see you soon.
32 Nations is a joint project by M.Willis and Clean Sheet Co. about designing expressive shirts for every single 2014 World Cup team. Questions, comments, etc.? I'm on Twitter at @m_willis. You can check out Clean Sheet Co. at cleansheet.co. If you want to know a little more about me, check out the features at the top of the page, or check out my brief bio. Thanks for reading!
32 Nations, Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria
Our penultimate group has a lot to love: nations from four different confederations, and four very different parts of the globe. Argentina is a strong favorite, of course - they seem incredibly likely to move on from this group of four - but the other spot is anyone's guess. Bosnia-Herzegovina are making their World Cup debut as an independent nation, and strong qualifying play notwithstanding, it's tough to know just how the world stage will suit them. Iran haven't had much success, yet, in a World Cup, but are always one of Asia's toughest sides. And Nigeria have the talent and experience to make things interesting for the higher seeds, but their form next summer is far from certain.
I say Argentina (with confidence) and Nigeria (with hesitation) pull it off. From a visual perspective, Group F is unique - it's the group the fewest fiery red/orange/yellow colors, almost none at all to speak of. Cool colors (blues, whites and greens) dominate. Will that give the matches in the group a distinctive tenor? And what does that mean for their 32 Nations designs? Let's check it out.
Argentina
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
Inspired by their country's flag and its coat of arms, the Albiceleste have a simple, timeless look. Beyond being a unique, iconic design (and downright beautiful to boot) the Argentina jersey has a history of success and acheivement backing it. I kept The Argentina Shirt quite simple; the visual identity is so entrenched, it's almost impossible to make clever additions to the simple vertical white and sky-blue stripes.
I did throw in a few small references. The Clean Sheet crest is rendered minimally, reversing the polarity of the stripes, so as not to break the shirt's simple order. This has the happy effect of creating a small, vertical Argentinian flag inside the crest, with the shield's center circle filled gold to represent the flag's Sun of May. The star on top is given a black treatment, to honor the black shorts that normally complete the Argentinian look and give the white-blue combination an extra punch. (Though the team has paired the famous shirt with royal blue shorts in years past, and will use white at the 2014 World Cup, black is the color that resonates with the club's long sartorial history.)
Given their roster, their group opponents and their ambition, Argentina will be disappointed not to lift a trophy next summer. (A final against Brazil might content for the title of most-hyped matchup of all time.) How far will sky blue and white take this years' Argentina squad? Messi, Agüero and company might take a cue from the visual design language they'll be wearing - there's no reason to over-complicate something successful and beautiful.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Honestly, Bosnia and Herzegovina took me a minute to wrap my head around. They’re a relative newcomer on the world stage; they’ve only been independent since 1992 and a Fifa memeber since ’96. This is their first World Cup. There’s not a lot of off-the-shelf cultural or visual heritage to pull from, as you might find with countries that have global football brands; that meant it was time to do some digging. And when I started to research visual inspiration for B&H, I made up my mind quickly about two things: a) their uniforms were fairly plain, and b) their flag was incredibly unique.
Bosnia plays in blue - a desaturated shade, not unattractive, but not radiant either. This is inspired by their flag, which uses darker blue, bright yellow and white; and while the uniform is somewhat nondescript, the flag is a real head-turner. Here’s a description:
A wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow right triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle.
Got that? If you need to reference a hypotenuse while describing your flag, you know the design is going to be interesting. The flag is essentially a deep blue field with a yellow upside-down triangle stuck in the middle of it, and a line of white stars underneath that. If the flag was just a diagonally-divided field of yellow and blue with stars in the middle, it would make perfect sense; instead the yellow stops a few inches from the right edge, and more blue is tacked on! (This, incidentally, gives the flag an incredibly wide ratio for seamingly arbitrary reasons. It’s like the IMAX screen of flags.) Meanwhile, it looks like somebody forgot to measure the vertical dimensions correctly and the flag factory took a guess where to cut, becasue the stars are sliced off at the top and bottom! (I realize that this symbolizes the stars continuing on into infinity, but honestly: it’s enough to drive a designer batty. Obviously the flag should never change, and quirky things make life intersting. You could give the flag a boring corporate haircut - I couldn’t resist doing so myself - but really: what fun is that?)
Anyway, the flag was too interesting not to use as the centerpiece of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Shirt. It’s depicted in windowed detail, the row of stars cascading diagonally across the negative-space Clean Sheet crest. A bright yellow corner finishes the look. The dueling blues (the flag’s darker tone and the shirt’s lighter, kit-inspired color) play well against one another.
Good luck, Bosnia and Herzegovina! Here’s hoping your World Cup run is, well, as long as your flag.
Iran
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Since Iran was qualified for the World Cup before almost anyone, they were one of the first countries I started to look at when this project began. To be clear: I know very, very little about Iranian soccer. Here’s what I found out.
• Their fans, generally, want the team playing in white. Green and red are nice, but white is the color associated with national success.
• The squad is known as Team Melli, (“the national team” in Farsi), and countrymen in foreign leagues get the pretty bad-ass moniker of “Legionnaires.” Beats “Yanks Abroad”, no?
• Iran is currently coached by Carlos Quieroz. This guy pops up just about anywhere soccer is played, and eventually gets fired for his trouble. He’s had relationships with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Sporting (Lisbon), the MetroStars and Nagoya Grampus in Japan; he’s managed the Portuguese, South African and now Iranian national teams (and he flirted with the USMNT back before the Bob Bradley appointment). I don’t know much about him, or if he makes Iran better, but don’t be surprised if you see his name in the program of your local semi-pro club team come 2015. Carlos gets around.
• In exploring the Iranian flag, I learned a bit about the country’s symbolism. Versions of their flag have used a lion brandishing a sword with the sun rising behind him; at some point this symbol was judged to be too awesome, and it was changed to a stylized emblem. Well, ok: the emblem is pretty cool too. It’s a gemetric script that creates the word “Allah”, built from Persian crescent moons, all while creating the shape of a tulip (a flower with national meaning). That’s a lot of symbolic lifting for one symbol; I tip my cap.
• Finally, along the tri-colored flag’s internal borders, one finds tidy Islamic caligraphy running across its width. This is called Kufic script, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The idea is that each character set can be set in a perfect square form; from this simple idea, amazing patterns and designs emerge. The script decorating the Iranian flag repeats the phrase “God is Great”; and as interesting as it is, scripts like this can become even more complex and impressive when they are placed in grids of square tiles and used for architectural decoration. There is no western equivalent to the beauty that can be created with Kufic caligraphy; even if we non-natives can appreciate the design and the visual prowess that goes into creating the perfect Kufic mark, we’re still missing a whole dimension of it’s power - to those that can read it, Kufic decoration actually conveys language - stories - with each tile or rendering.
I chose to use the Kufic-style script from Iran’s flag to fill up the inside of Clean Sheet crest. Small strands - one green, one red - escape to the left and right, creating a modest chest-spanning design. The entire shirt is white - it’s Iran at it’s strongest - and I hope it all comes together with simple, beautiful splashes of color.
Nigeria
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Who has traditionally controlled the Wold Cup? Europe and South America. No countries from outside those two confederations have even made the final, let alone won the whole thing. The natural question follows: what country, and what region, will produce the first non-traditional winner?
My money is on Nigeria.
Why? Let’s take a quick look at each confederation, and the most likely candidates to break through:
North America (Concacaf): The United States and Mexico. The US is building slowly right now - slowly enough that other teams will probably get there first. It’s debatable that Mexico is even moving forward at all.
Asia and Oceania (AFC+OFC): Korea Republic, Japan, Iran, Australia. None of these teams is winning it all in the near future. Korea, the strongest of the bunch, has an outside shot to make a final, as they almost did on home soil in 2002. I suppose China could go on a developmental bender, but I’m not ready to predict that yet.
Africa (CAF): Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon. Any of these three could make a semifinal quite plausibly; that deep into a tournament, who progresses is almost down to breaks, lucky or otherwise (as Ghana found out in 2010). I’d give Nigeria a slight edge over its rivals; it holds the African championship and has acheived the highest global ranking ever for any African side (5th in 1994). (The squad’s biggest obstacle would appear to be its own government, which meddles with the team and, during this last World Cup cycle, put it at risk of being suspended by FIFA during crucial qualification matches.)
A technical analysis, this is not, but I stand by it: Nigeria will be the first “outsider” to win the World Cup. It may not happen in 2014 - that would be require a string of unlikely events, to say the least - but I could see it happening before the tournament makes another cycle through the continents again (by the mid 2030s at the latest).
For a US fan paying attenting during the ’94 World Cup, Nigeria’s greatest successes are still easy to recall. They topped a group that featured Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece, beating the latter pair outright. They played bounding, buyant soccer that contrasted the deliberate European model, the exuberant South American style or the somewhat plodding stuff the US was putting together at the time. And the jerseys - splashed with two shades of green (verdant and pastel), and decorated with a checkerboard native textile pattern - sound ugly, but were actually kind of charming. Adidas later moved this design into an ingeniously simple template, isolating the textile pattern in a wide oval around the collar, and draping the rest of the jersey in plain green. The result is one of may favorite international jerseys of all time.
The Nigeria Shirt plays off of this 1994/95 design, tracing the arc of that wide neck pattern across the chest. A native, fabric-inspired pattern is used in dark green (atop the rich green base) to evoke that older look. Instead of continuing all the way around, however, the design stops in angled ends. This last touch references the team’s wonderful nickname - the Super Eagles - and gives the appearance of a pair of outstretched wings across the breadth of the shirt. The Clean Sheet crest is finished in white, with a dot of pastel green/grey to evoke a time when Nigeria was among the best in the world.
My hunch is that they’ll be back there again, and sooner than later.
And that's Group F. All shirts are available for pre-order over at Clean Sheet; find me on Twitter for comments, and I'll see you back here on Monday for our final group - that was fast, huh? - Group H.
32 Nations is a joint project by M.Willis and Clean Sheet Co. about designing expressive shirts for every single 2014 World Cup team. Questions, comments, etc.? I'm on Twitter at @m_willis. You can check out Clean Sheet Co. at cleansheet.co. If you want to know a little more about me, check out the features at the top of the page, or check out my brief bio. Thanks for reading!
32 Nations, Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras
We're coming down the home stretch now - just three groups left to get us all the way to 32 teams. As I was working on these designs before the draw, I frequently wondered what configurations would create my favorite design group. I was thinking it would have a world power or two, maybe an interesting underdog, or an especially diverse color palette. I wasn't even close to guessing that it would be a group made up of Switzerland, Ecuador, France and Honduras. But here we are: front to back, this group is my favorite collection of the 32 Nations project.
(Where do I see the teams finishing? I'll give Ecuador and France the nod to move on, with Honduras spoiling Switzerland's Cup.)
Let's get to the designs.
Switzerland
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
Switzerland is a tough country to design for. First, there's the national tradition of iconic design - Helvetica is named after the country, for goodness sake - and second, there may be no nation more wedded to a particular design language - the famous Swiss cross in white on red. How to find room within such a well-defined visual structure to express something innately Swiss with this design?
I started with a red base, as you'd imagine. Not only is it the country's signature color, but it's the Swiss national team's preferred kit color. The white cross had to play a part - but the Swiss cross is a very particular piece of design. It's a completely squared-off shape, not longer on one side like Nordic crosses, tipped into an 'x' like St. Andrews or Burgundy versions, or primarily vertical like religious marks. It's a perfectly proportionate, tidy mark. This is beautiful for visual purposes, but it creates challenges when designing for the front of a shirt. Make the cross design big enough to cover the chest, and it looks gaudy; stretch any of its vertices and it starts to lose its Swiss-ness.
I ended up with a white cross somewhere in the middle - large enough to be unmistakably Swiss, but small enough to keep the design modest and tasteful. The cross is centered on the Clean Sheet crest, touching the shirt's edge on one side and it's center on the other. Within the cross design, I've added a representation of Switzerland's most famous geographic feature, the Alpine mountain range. Three peaks rise up inside the cross's horizontal stripe; the middle peak, in the foreground, receives a snow-cap that precisely fits within the Clean Sheet star's negative space. The mountains are done in shades of neutral grey to keep the airy, clean Swiss design aesthetic alive.
On the field, the Swiss have been given the reigns to Group E, having in recent years ascended very near the top of international soccer. As they make a final push the the summit - no doubt encountering a dramatic struggle as they go - this design seems an appropriate way to honor their effort.
Ecuador
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The biggest challenge for Ecuador's design was determining how to differentiate them from their neighbors and brothers in Colombia. The two nations share a common ancestor (Gran Colombia), cultural histories, national colors (yellow, blue, red), soccer uniforms (again: yellow, blue, red) and have strikingly similar flags. As I searched for something that set Ecuador apart, I kept returning to their flag, and what made it unique.
In short, it was the condor.
Ecuador's flag adds a national coat of arms, atop which is perched an intimidating bird of prey. The crest the soccer team wears uses that same bird in a more stylized way. And while Colombia considers the Andean condor a national symbol as well (most of western South America reveres it), they don't feature it on their flag or on their uniforms. Ecuador does; Ecuador gets the condor.
And what an awesome symbol it is, too. I played around with the best way to feature it, and settled on making the hole in the Clean Sheet shield into the tufted neck feathers that give the bird its distinctive appearance. The condor's wings are inspired by the blocky rendering that the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol uses, but here instead of chunks, I used broad stripes to give the bird a more streamlined appearance. The shield design creeps up in negative space, with the top portion yellow to match the shirt's base and the bottom given proportionate blue and red stripes, just like the flag.
Ecuador started as one of the biggest challenges in the entire project, and ended in one of the most satisfying designs. I hope the team is up to a similar challenge - there's no reason they couldn't take Group E and begin a magical run. And if they meet up with Colombia (it would have to be in a semifinal, or the final itself), I hope they realize that the power of the condor is on their side.
France
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I started this design with one rule: no Eiffel Tower. Everything else was on the table; still, France didn’t make it easy on me. I began, stopped, returned, started over - for a long time, nothing clicked. If I could have crumpled up my computer screen and thrown it into a waste basket, I would have. I settled for saving incomplete ideas in separate little files, dragging them into the miniature wastebasket on the desktop, and then right-click emptying that. I savored the “wrinkling paper” sound each and every time. Of course, it got me no closer to a good design.
What made France so difficult? They have a famous, grandiose, consistent and charming identity - a description that applies to both the country and the soccer team, in fact. France has a sense of swagger, both talent and success on the field, and a history of elegant design. Desinging a shirt for France: what could be more fun?
Truth be told, I think I was a little afraid of making a mis-step with the French identity. Because they are so storied, and becasue there is so much identity to pull from, and becasue they are always dressed so well (seriously: nice job, Nike), I felt a little pressure to make something worthy of the country. I think I ended up in a good spot; if so, it’s all to do with where I began. And without the Tower, or other basic icons, I was left with one thing: color.
The original French flag was white. That’s not a dumb joke; the flag of Ancien Régime-era France was a plain white field. Pretty minimal; pretty ballsy too. I can’t speak for the politics of the French leadership at that time, but it takes a lot of confidence to pull off something like that. At times, a field of fleur-de-lis marks were added, so that the entire flag was a pattern of gold and white. This flag hasn’t flown for centuries; the proletariat made sure of that (with the assistance of a few guillotines). Their revolutionary symbol, the blue-white-red tricolor, is still used today. (Aside: this little corner of French history is nicely illustrated in a painting by Léon Coginet, fictionalizing the white flag becoming the tricolor in the midst of violent revolution.)
I loved the “field of fleur-de-lis” idea as a desing starting point, and worked on it for quite some time. I came close, but kept missing something essential. It turned out, appropriately enough, to be the tricolor. Adding the blue-white-red shield elements to the crest, and turning the volume down on the fleur-de-lis marks (until they were almost a tonal complement to the shirt’s French blue) ended up being the proper recipe for this design.
Given the long-running dissent that's haunted the French team, I’d say that merging two versions of French ideology is appropriate for the France Shirt. This is a design that’s stronger for its components, even if they’re opposed to each other some of the time. After all, each has the good of the national cause at heart.
Honduras
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Here in Concacaf, we get to see Honduras all the time. They’re good - they can beat anybody in North America, that’s for certain - and the last decade has seen them rise into the region’s upper tiers, just below the U.S. and Mexico. They follow the Concacaf blueprint perfectly: build a tough, seasoned team that isn’t afraid to foul, build around a few skilled counter-attacking offensive players, and create a den of insanity at your home venue to (hopefully) unsettle rivals. If you get a late lead, make substitutions and rise from “injuries” with the urgency of a procrastinating eighth-grader. I kid, of course; whatever they’re doing in Honduras is working. The team is headed to their second consecutive World Cup next summer.
But what makes them really stand out? It’s the H, man.
No, that’s not a street reference to some kind of illicit Central American substance (…in this case). It’s a shout out to the coolest part of the Honduran identity: the H they wear over their hearts. There’s nothing like it on the international stage. The idea is so earnest and bold, I almost can’t believe that nobody else has done it. Maybe it’s the color scheme, white and rich, royal blue; maybe the familiar shape of the letter, symmetrical and strong. Maybe it’s the unadorned simplicity with which the whole thing comes together on the shirt. A seven-year-old could make their own Honduras “jersey” with a white T-shirt and a blue Sharpie, and do a pretty good job. That’s awesome. (Yeah, I’m trying it later tonight.)
Honduras has a crest, of course, but it’s over on the generic side of the spectrum. Just as well that the H takes over; it’s so much more interesting. For The Honduras Shirt, the H is the star, supported by some other cool aspects of the Catrachos’ identity. First the colors: blue with white, always a winning combination. Then, the H - larger than life, and interacting with the Clean Sheet crest in a cool little design flourish. There’s one final aspect to the design that I’m proud of: the Honduran flag, and the team’s formal crest, use a five-star motif that’s laid out in a mirrored 2–1–2 patten. With a little imagination, this pattern can be lined up to match the “H”, almost in the manner of a constellation diagram - so that’s what we did here. The Clean Sheet crest’s star serves as one of the five stars, in a final bit of design syncronicity.
How far will Honduras go in Brazil? It’s never wise to doubt the power of the H.
And that's Group E. All shirts are available for pre-order over at Clean Sheet; find me on Twitter for comments, and I'll see you back here on Friday for Group D.
32 Nations is a joint project by M.Willis and Clean Sheet Co. about designing expressive shirts for every single 2014 World Cup team. Questions, comments, etc.? I'm on Twitter at @m_willis. You can check out Clean Sheet Co. at cleansheet.co. If you want to know a little more about me, check out the features at the top of the page, or check out my brief bio. Thanks for reading!
32 Nations, Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA
Because we refuse to be held hostage to the rule of ping-pong balls, we're skipping ahead to Group G today. (We'll loop back to E, F and H after.) Germany, Portugal, Ghana and the United States form an intimidating group; by the numbers it'll be the toughest one in Brazil. Amongst the four teams, there are four different tiers of expectation: "Anything less than a trophy will be kind of disappointing." (Germany); "Maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle while we have this guy." (Portugal); "[eyes narrowing] Just get us back to where we were last time." (Ghana); "It's cool, the matches will get easier once we get to the knockout rounds." (USA).
(As a US fan, I hold no illusions; it's not looking overly easy for the boys in red, white and blue. One semi-silver lining: a victory over Ghana will feel great, even if they don't progress. I expect that, and then draws against Germany and Portugal. That would give the US 5 points in this group, and I think that might just be enough. I say they're going to be one of the two teams to survive this scrum. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.)
It's a distinctive looking group, too. Let's discuss.
Germany
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
Die Mannschaft expects to be there, in Rio, at the World Cup final. Sure, Brazil are big favorites, and Spain has been almost unbeatable internationally for the last few years. But German fußball is ascendent. The balance of club soccer has shifted to the Bundesliga (The Champion's League final came down to two German clubs, and world-class managers and players are increasingly moving into the league). The national squad expects to beat anyone, and to do so with ruthless efficiency. Like many things German, the team is set up to run like a complex machine, and when that machine is calibrated properly and warmed up, it's a work of engineering to behold.
This sense of technical wonder informed the way I went about designing for Germany. I wanted to evoke something complex and powerful (owing to German engineering), and also something very well-considered and simple (owing to German design). I also wanted to honor the team's visual history and the specific design elements that have come to define it. The Germany Shirt is the result.
We start with a pure white base. Of all the national teams with a claim to white, England being the most prominent (and the USA not that far behind), Germany is really the only major team for which no other iconic color could reasonably be used. The Germans will suit up in white first-choice jerseys in Brazil, as you'd expect; it looks like they'll be going with black for a change jersey this time around, though they've been known to feature in red and green as well. None of those colors can touch white for innately expressing the identity of the German side; so white it is.
On top of the white base, the Clean Sheet crest is rendered in black, red and gold - the schwarz-rot-gold of the German tricolor flag. The fields aren't solid, though; the entire design is composed of one silver-grey line that snakes across the shirt and back, erupting into color when it crosses the crest. The line makes 11 full passes across the shirt, symbolizing the 11 positions on a soccer pitch that, in a German mindset, function as one machine. Beyond the 11-as-one symbolism, the thin lines call back to the Deutscher Fußball Bund's national team crest, and two of its signature elements: the looped wings of the eagle caricature that it depicts, and the spaced-out black-red-gold stripe at its bottom.
Going into this World Cup, the Germans have the talent and the organization to win; they also have the momentum. This design honors the iconic visuals that represent Germany's formidable potential; whether they'll have the luck and the soul it takes to complete the journey will be decided on the pitch.
Portugal
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The idea for the Portugal shirt was almost fully formed before I started work on the design. This happened a few times over the course of the project; almost always, the process of creating living designs from basic ideas exposed things that needed changing. Out of 32 nations, in fact, Portugal is the only design that survived, fully intact, all the way from my original mental sketches to the final design.
It’s not an overly complex idea, of course. If you’ve ever seen Portugal’s flag and wondered “so, what’s that thing with all the straps on it?”, then you’re half way there already. It’s what I’ve been wondering for years. Of course, I needed the excuse of a project like this to actually look it up. It’s called an armillary sphere. Here are a few facts I found interesting about it.
As it’s rendered on the Portuguese flag, it’s not just a cool-looking design, like an extravagant work of heraldry. It depicts a real object.
That object isn’t flat; it’s round. Go figure. I thought the image represented something with straps; those are really rings around a hollow sphere. Flattened out on the Portuguese flag, I never picked up on that.
It’s not a globe, but rather a model of the sky - objects in the celestial sphere above the planet. The earth is represented at the core.
Well-known astronimical bad-ass Tycho Brahe made them, and made them better than almost anyone.
Because it was useful for plotting and navigation, the armillary sphere became a natural symbol for Portugal - one of the most notorious sea-faring cultures in recorded history.
I kind of want one, and I’m thinking of acting soon before Dan Brown bases his next book on a centuries-old secret hidden in one, and prices go way up.
From a graphical perspective, the way each band wraps around the sphere’s horizon makes for a perfect visual tidbit, and that’s what I wanted to design around. Luckilly, it worked out. The Portugal Shirt is a minimal paeon to the armillary sphere, and hence the flag and the culture it stands for - one that celebrates exploration and adventure.
As is Portugal’s first choice jersey, the Portugal Shirt is set in a deep crimson - somewhere between red and maroon. The design itself depicts a stylized armillary sphere - well, a detail from one, almost as if we’d zoomed in on the upper-right corner of the machine. A single gold ring traces across the shirt, looping through the hole in the Clean Sheet crest and back down and away. The lines and angles are flat and regular (not particularly spherical) to keep the depiction minimal and crisp; they mirror the design and orientation of the sphere on the Portuguese flag quite closely. The energy from the design almost creates the feel of a sash zagging across the shirt. The crest is finished in green (shield) and white (star) to complete Portugal’s national color scheme.
Oh yeah, and the shape of the design itself? It not-so-coincidentally resembles the number of a certain key player for the Portuguese side.
And that’s it! It’s rare that a design works this consistently from concept to execution. Given what Ronaldo and the Portuguese team are hoping to do in Brazil, I can only hope, on their behalf, that their Cup exploits go to plan as nicely.
Ghana
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Ghana has US Soccer’s number; the Americans’ last two World Cups have ended at the hands of the Black Stars, each time with advancement on the line. Some US fans might want revenge; not me. I want the US to stay as far away from Ghana as humanly possible. Let somebody else take up the task of beating them; it’s hard enough to do in 90 minutes without weighty history to compound the task.
From an American perspective, one might think that Ghana would be an easy team to root against, a classic “villian” team like Russian hockey (1980s), Duke basketball (1990s) or Chelsea (perpetually). They’re even called the Black Stars; it doesn’t get much more “bad guy” than that. And yet they’re not a villain; not even a little bit. The’ve played the US fair and square, winning on merit in each matchup. They’ve got skilled, joyful players and play with a positive, non-cynical style. And they’ve been hurt by fate themselves, never moreso than during the 2010 Cup. After beating they US, Ghana found themselves a win from the semifinals, rarefied air for any team, and a groundbreaking spot for any African nation. The entire continent, and much of the rest of the world, was pulling for them. In the end, bad luck compounded questionable sportsmanship on their opponents’ behalf, and victory was not to be.
I’ve seen the States play Ghana twice now; I was at each losing World Cup match. No matter the moment, no matter the outcome, the Ghanian fans kept a positive vibe in the air. There was singing, dancing, rhythmic chanting, drumming, smiling and bright color swirling through match-day. I met and embraced Ghanians; they were sweet and jovial and hoped, quite charmingly, for a fair and fun match. (It was easy to believe them when they said that.) I have no doubt that even after their own heartbreak of 2010, there will be more of the same in Brazil.
I originally designed a primarily white shirt for Ghana, to honor the first-choice white jersey that they normally wear. But the more I considered the design, the more it became obvious that everything led back to the Black Star at its center - and the shirt began to echo that above all else. So, though it's not a traditional Ghanian kit color, I've designed Ghana a shirt with a black base - and it's the only shirt in the field of 32 to receive a look like this. The idea is that the entire shirt is an homage to the Black Stars, one of the coolest team nicknames in the world. (And though the team doesn’t usually wear shirts that are primarily black, its fans are no stranger to the look.)
Ghana’s flag - horizontal bars of red, gold and green, containing a single centered black star - is recreated in the crest; a black circle stands in for the star, which is elevated to the top of the design and haloed in white. A kente textile-inspired bar runs under the crest, solidifying the design and drawing it together. The shirt combines elements of the team’s look, the country’s flag, and the colors that Ghanians wear to celebrate their team.
No matter the occasion - be it one of jubilation or anguish on the pitch - Ghanians will have plenty of reason to make joyful noise. Perhaps a bit of intimidating black will provide that last little push to see them to the promised land.
USA
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I’ve been down this road before. Clean Sheet Co. started with one product, The Gadsden, a shirt designed around the idea that U.S. Soccer had more interesting visual directions to explore than it gave itself credit for. The idea for that shirt, in turn, sprang from a series of posts I wrote about finding a unique and lasting American soccer style.
A few years and a few shirts later, here we are. The Gadsden embraced a folk symbol that has captured the hearts of many American soccer fans; The Pasdadena re-interpreted an infamous (and classic) American jersey, and The Dawn celebrated a lesser-remembered, but just as inspiring American kit design. But why stop there?
I’m thrilled, of course, to get to include an American design this project. In a way, it was a different kind of design equation; while the previous US shirts I’ve worked up have had esoteric inspirations, 32 Nations is about embracing big, bold, national symbolism. It was a chance to design a USA-themed shirt that wasn’t a nod to history only those already deeply into US soccer culture would immediatly understand.
When I started thinking about the form a US shirt would take in the context of this project, my mind kept wandering to the previous shirts I’d made. For the first time, I realized that even after three distinct designs, I had yet to make a US-themed shirt that was white, navy, or red - our three national colors, and the colors the team suits up in.
Easy call. Going back to my origin as a USMNT fan, there was only one choice for the fans' color. Red it was.
Not just red, of course; the 32 Nations USA Shirt nods to the Waldo-style stripes that the US has recently (kind of) embraced, and that not too long ago I argued should be the permanent face of the team. It also references the diagonal sash, an element that the US has a proud history with. I wanted to get each into this design, and I did; the fact that the 13 stripes and 50 stars are present makes me even happier.
There’s no mistaking this shirt’s intentions; no wondering about the references. This is as bold and patriotic as it gets. And that’s kind of the point, right?
And that's Group G. All shirts are available for pre-order over at Clean Sheet; find me on Twitter for comments, we'll double back go grab Group E on Wednesday. See you then.
32 Nations is a joint project by M.Willis and Clean Sheet Co. about designing expressive shirts for every single 2014 World Cup team. Questions, comments, etc.? I'm on Twitter at @m_willis. You can check out Clean Sheet Co. at cleansheet.co. If you want to know a little more about me, check out the features at the top of the page, or check out my brief bio. Thanks for reading!
32 Nations, Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy
There's nowhere to hide in Group D. With three clubs in the world's top 15, and a fourth who can beat anyone (just ask Concacaf). Uruguay will feel a little pressure playing as a seed, close to home, and with Luis Suarez at the absolute apex of his career. England will feel pressure because they're English. Italy will feel pressure, but they've built their entire footballing strategy about turning pressure in on itself. It's going to get dicey; my picks: Uruguay and England (somehow).
And as far as the design implications, there's a lot to tackle. Let's go:
Uruguay
Author’s note: This is part of a recurring series on designing beautiful graphic identities for the 32 Nations in 2014 World Cup. When you’re done here, feel free to read on:
Introducing: 32 Nations
The Rules
Group A Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon Group B Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia Group C Colombia, Greece, Côte d'Ivoire, Japan Group D Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy Group E Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras Group F Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria Group G Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA Group H Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic Epilogue
All of the 32 Nations designs are available to order over at Clean Sheet Co., my apparel shop. We make shirts in batches, so pre-order now! All shirts ship later this winter.
Click here to see & order all 32 Nations shirts!
Finally, if you're interested in discussing this article, getting updates, etc., you can find me at @m_willis on Twitter, or leave your email at the very bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!
Could Uruguay spoil their neighbor’s victory party? They did it before, in 1950, beating hosts Brazil at the Maracanã to lift the World Cup. (I’m guessing the aftermath of that match is about as quiet as a Brazilian stadium can get.) This hasn’t been forgotten in Brazil; they’re still talking about the “ghosts of 1950 ” and the disappointment that the national side hopes to avoid this time around.
Uruguay has some pieces in place; an experienced team that is peaking, a superstar that is on top of his game, and a style that invites challenges. The team’s nickname, the Charruás, refers to indiginous nomads who were known to be fierce fighters - and the term is something Uruguayans now proudly use in the context of going to battle against foreign forces. (The Charruás were summarily eradicated by Spanish conquerors; here’s hoping a better fate awaits Uruguay if it meets Spain in the knockout stages.)
Despite early wavering (green, white, red, navy; stripes, sashes, panels), Uruguay settled on a visual style in plenty of time for their mid-century success. Light blue tops (with white accents) and black shorts make for a classic combination, and there’s no reason to mess with over a century of tradition. The Uruguay Shirt follows the jersey’s lead, and uses a light (but substantial) blue base. The Clean Sheet crest and star are white; beneath, a ribbon hangs below in black. The forked shape of the ribbon mirrors that of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol’s logo - the crest Uruguay wears on their national shirts. One last touch: from the Uruguayan flag, the Sun of May (a national talisman) is simplified and rendered in the crest’s inner circle, with rays extending out towards the edges of the shield.
Will Uruguay win this Brazilian World Cup? The odds are certainly against them; but then, who else knows exactly how it’s done?
Costa Rica
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Ah, los Ticos. US fans know them well. With Mexico’s regional struggles, Costa Rica proved to be the Americans’ most difficult opponent during the qualification cycle for Brazil. Going into this project, I knew a bit about Costa Rican soccer; coming out, I know a bit more about their culture. And while it might be a stretch to say that Costa Rica is primed for a deep tournament run, they’re not a team, or a country, who couldn’t handle the pressure of one.
There are a few different angles to this shirt; it's probably best to dive right in. First, it's red, just like the jersey Costa Rica plays in; further accents in white and blue echo the team’s kit coloration and the colors of the national flag. The flag is represented here at the center of the crest - concentric rings of red, white and blue form a roundel that echoes the horizontally symmetrical bars of the flag (and replicates, exactly, the roundel mark used by the Costa Rican air force). So: the flag is covered. What next?
Beyond the blue ring, an outer edge of white and red spikes circle the roundel. Combined with the inner circles, this creates a Costa Rican sunburst mark, a symbol with potent meaning in the tropical Central American country. But there’s more too it: behind the blue crest, a boxy figure is rendered in white. This is where a little background becomes helpful. From Pocket Cultures:
La Carreta, “The oxcart” in English, was designated National Labor Symbol on March 22nd, 1988. During the nineteenth century, with extensive coffee plantations around the country, it was necessary to have a vehicle that could actually pass through muddy places, beaches, hills, curves, rocky mountains and deep small rivers. That’s when this rustic, wooden, strong cart was created….
[The oxcart] is one of the most genuine folkloric manifestations of the country as it represents the simplicity and aspirations of rural Costa Rican people, who have become artisans thanks to it. La carreta symbolizes humility, patience, sacrifice and endurance in an effort to pursue goals in a pacific manner. The national progress is linked to the oxcart, which imposes respect in virtue of its glorious past.
That’s right; the design is a stylized oxcart (or carreta), a revered symbol of endurance in Costa Rica. The ringed sunburst decorates the cart’s wheel (in the traditional style), and the white cart and hitch stretch out across the shirt in the manner of a cart at rest after a day’s work. I loved the way this symbol said so much about the Costa Rican people and the team’s spirit, and I had to figure out a way to use it. I hope it turned out well.
One last touch: the thin white line representing the cart's hitch meets the wheel and continues on to the other side, jutting up as it leaves the back edge. This can be considered a very stylized version of Central America’s Pacific coastline; the white cart, with a little imagination, be seen as the Costa Rican landmass itself. The geographic fit is highly whimsical, but it works, and it’s a nice coda for a design rich with symbolism.
So, for the honor of Concacaf, out of respect for a regional brother, and because I had so much fun putting this design together: I’m pulling for Costa Rica to exhibit the very same endurance and progress during its Brazilian adventure as the revered correta predicts it might.
England
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England had to be simple. The only question, in my mind, was: white or red? The design hinged on whether I was making a red shirt with white elements, or using the blank canvas of a white shirt to do something intricate. Because I wanted simplicity, I chose red.
This game, and this photo, made me certain I’d done the right thing. The design I’ve worked up here is a simple homage to England’s World Cup-winning jersey of 1966. A field of rich red, a white crest, and some finishing touches - what could be better?
I did work in a few nice little details: first, the crest itself isn’t just white; it uses negative space to reveal St. George’s Cross, as found on the famous flag of England. Second, at the center, the Clean Sheet crest’s customary hole is occupied by three navy stripes. These call back to the England crest and the notorious three lions stretching horizontally across it. They also create the impression of a paneled soccer ball from soccer's earliest days - and as the home of soccer, it makes a bit of sense to draw a connection there.
One last element that I’d like to touch on in this very straightforward identity: the star. Every Clean Sheet design includes the shield and star crest, because that’s part of the fun - adapting the same template to different countries. But the star means something extra here; first of all, England actually wears exactly one star (from that 1966 Cup campaign); second, as the inventors of the sport, they deserve some special recognition. So, on this design, the star itself is intended to be represented in gold. When Clean Sheet makes these shirts, this star will be done not in regular ink, but in permanent gold foil. This is going to be one stunning shirt to see in person. Only England will get the gold treatment; that’s their exclusive reward for bringing such a wonderful game to life.
This is a composed, simple, dignified design for a team whose best sartorial moments have been defined by those qualities. Now, if England go out and win a second star this summer (and what are the odds, really?), I’m sure finding a way to represent it on such a balanced design will be a happy problem to solve.
Italy
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Dutch orange, Brazillian yellow, Italian blue. As long as there is soccer played on this planet, those visual identities are a permanent part of the game. Italy is one of global soccer’s premier visual brands. The country’s identity has been consistent for more than a century - the blue of the ruling Savoy family became the team’s trademark color in 1911 - and to the Italians’ credit, they haven’t sought to mess with a good thing. Sure: collars come and go, shorts change, the crest evolves, hairstyles are, uh, experimented with - but Italy’s shirt is always blue. Like Ferrari or Lamborghini, they roll out a version every year that manages to look exactly like every previous model - until you study the little details.
Within the confines of blue, Italy has found some impressive wiggle room. From the dark royal tones of their mid–90s look, all the way to an almost sky-blue kit in the early 00s, and recently a more muted, aged blue, the teams’ vision what blue can be has shown some impressive variation.
(When they stray from blue, Italy loses something; their white kits are pedestrian in comparison, and their brief history of third kits needs little explication. Well, one thing: somebody has to tell me if they actually wore this 1991 third jersey with blue pizza slices (!!) on the front - if so, it needs to be documented and studied. Thesis papers need to be written about it.)
I’m not one to upset tradition; this project is all about embracing it. The Italy Shirt gets a simple, classic treatment here. The Clean Sheet crest is white against a field of solid azure blue; that’s the basis of the look and it’s almost enough to convey the power of the Italian aesthetic. But there are a few additional references here: the Emblem of the Italian Republic, and the Italian Star.
Let’s start with the star. The Stellone d’Italia is, to quote Wikipedia, “the most ancient identity symbol of the Italian land”, going back centuries to stories of Aeneas and Virgil. The general idea is that a body shines in the night sky - Venus, during its periodic role as the Evening Star - that marks Italy a homeland and a place of love. The star can be shown alone, as a beacon, with rays of light cascading from it; it can also be depicted in the form of a goddess that has come to personify Italy (in the same way Uncle Sam does the U.S.). Here I’ve used the former, and used the rays of light in my favorite application, streaming the colors of the Italian flag.
The Italian Star is a beautiful symbol, and plays perfectly with the star on the Clean Sheet crest. But there’s one last layer to the way it’s presented. Behind the star, you’ll see two additional shapes. A stylized garland of branches (in a subtle, slightly lighter blue), and within it (in negative space) a cogwheel. These shapes, together with the star, make up the emblem of the Italian Republic, the country’s official mark during the post-war era. (You'll also note the ends of the garland's branches jutting out on the sides of the shield in that same lighter tone.) Together, the star and the mark resonate with just the right amount of Italian style, without overwhelming the real star of the shirt: the deep, azure blue.
The Italian look is timeless and simple; variation comes from the personalities that don the shirt, and the moments those who wear it create. No matter the extent of their success - and they have every chance of lifting the trophy - the Italian troupe heading to Brazil this summer is sure to make azure blue memorable once again.
And that's Group D. All shirts are available for pre-order over at Clean Sheet; find me on Twitter for comments, and I'll see you back here on Monday when we skip ahead to Group G (update: it's live - go now!). 32 Nations is a joint project by M.Willis and Clean Sheet Co. about designing expressive shirts for every single 2014 World Cup team. Questions, comments, etc.? I'm on Twitter at @m_willis. You can check out Clean Sheet Co. at cleansheet.co. If you want to know a little more about me, check out the features at the top of the page, or check out my brief bio. Thanks for reading!
