Going beyond: A brand identity befitting the quality of women’s international football
Why FIFA’s brand for the 2023 Women’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand is a game-changer for women’s football.
FIFA’s brand identity for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is bold and refreshing. The design work for this FIFA branding was produced by Public Address, a design studio based in Toronto, Canada.
We can’t help but think that FIFA tournament branding has lost its way somewhat over the past few decades. Branding for FIFA World Cups, both for the women’s and mens’ football tournaments appear to have a tendency to over-design and to embellish with details. This has been a trend going back to FIFA’s rebranding for the Japan-Korea World Cup in 2002. Looking back across much of this branding work, there were sometimes too many design elements, often resulting in cluttered logos and occasionally confused layouts. The renowned designer Abram Games (1914-1996) once said, “maximum meaning, minimum means.” The 2023 Women’s World Cup branding certainly fits this design philosophy with its symbolism and simplicity.
FIFA says the brand for 2023 is “a vibrant new visual approach that aims to unite and inspire people around the world through the power of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and women’s football”. This new approach led to the use of a new slogan to represent the tournament, to empower women and the women’s game: Beyond Greatness.
The concept behind the 2023 logo itself is strong. The logo graphic, is a circle of 32 colourful squares that represent the tournament’s expansion from 24 to 32 participating nations. The colours are a palette based on the local culture, taken from the landscapes and indigenous cultures of Australia and New Zealand. The radial shapes rotate around the classic football, or soccer ball, a symbol that is recognised globally. The result is a visual celebration of football. It already has an iconic feel to it, reminiscent of the men’s Mexico 1970 World Cup and the Italia 1990 World Cup.
For the wider identity, the design of the logo is combined with a graphic language consisting of series of unique patterns that capture the feel and symbolism of local cultures. The pattern graphics were made in collaboration with local artists. FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman, herself a New Zealander, comments “…two beautiful countries, and two amazing cultures. It’s unique, like this emblem. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before.”
The typography is bold and dynamic. Each design element has been carefully considered. From a design point of view it captures the viewers attention instantly. It is a simple idea, beautifully crafted. It stands out, and because of the timeless design elements and arrangement, the squares and the classic ball that holds it all together, it will be looked upon in years to come as a design classic, in the same league as the men’s World Cups from 1970 to 1998.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup branding is not as strong in terms of the overall design idea as it seeks visual continuity with the previous two World Cups in Brazil and Russia, with designs that are forced into abstracted trophy shapes. Therefore, the Women’s World Cup branding for 2023 has to be viewed as ahead of the men’s game. Let’s hope the tournament itself lives up to the branding and the power it unleashes.
The Women’s international game is becoming more and more popular with each year and each tournament. With this brings more media attention, more columns written and more exposure and share of airtime on the big sports channels. The UEFA European Championships in England in 2022 is expected to draw big crowds. As the women’s domestic game reaches wider and larger audiences, so too will international games as fans seek to watch their stars on the world stage. International tournaments are bringing women’s football to the attention of the global masses. This branding work, because of its strength, will facilitate that and help the women’s game gain more recognition up until the tournament in 2023 and beyond.
FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup — Going beyond: A brand identity befitting the quality of women’s international football
Going beyond: A brand identity befitting the quality of women’s international football
Why FIFA’s brand for the 2023 Women’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand is a game-changer for women’s football.
FIFA’s brand identity for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is bold and refreshing. The design work for this FIFA branding was produced by Public Address, a design studio based in Toronto, Canada.
We can’t help but think that FIFA tournament branding has lost its way somewhat over the past few decades. Branding for FIFA World Cups, both for the women’s and mens’ football tournaments appear to have a tendency to over-design and to embellish with details. This has been a trend going back to FIFA’s rebranding for the Japan-Korea World Cup in 2002. Looking back across much of this branding work, there were sometimes too many design elements, often resulting in cluttered logos and occasionally confused layouts. The renowned designer Abram Games (1914-1996) once said, “maximum meaning, minimum means.” The 2023 Women’s World Cup branding certainly fits this design philosophy with its symbolism and simplicity.
FIFA says the brand for 2023 is “a vibrant new visual approach that aims to unite and inspire people around the world through the power of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and women’s football”. This new approach led to the use of a new slogan to represent the tournament, to empower women and the women’s game: Beyond Greatness.
The concept behind the 2023 logo itself is strong. The logo graphic, is a circle of 32 colourful squares that represent the tournament’s expansion from 24 to 32 participating nations. The colours are a palette based on the local culture, taken from the landscapes and indigenous cultures of Australia and New Zealand. The radial shapes rotate around the classic football, or soccer ball, a symbol that is recognised globally. The result is a visual celebration of football. It already has an iconic feel to it, reminiscent of the men’s Mexico 1970 World Cup and the Italia 1990 World Cup.
For the wider identity, the design of the logo is combined with a graphic language consisting of series of unique patterns that capture the feel and symbolism of local cultures. The pattern graphics were made in collaboration with local artists. FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman, herself a New Zealander, comments “…two beautiful countries, and two amazing cultures. It’s unique, like this emblem. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen before.”
The typography is bold and dynamic. Each design element has been carefully considered. From a design point of view it captures the viewers attention instantly. It is a simple idea, beautifully crafted. It stands out, and because of the timeless design elements and arrangement, the squares and the classic ball that holds it all together, it will be looked upon in years to come as a design classic, in the same league as the men’s World Cups from 1970 to 1998.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup branding is not as strong in terms of the overall design idea as it seeks visual continuity with the previous two World Cups in Brazil and Russia, with designs that are forced into abstracted trophy shapes. Therefore, the Women’s World Cup branding for 2023 has to be viewed as ahead of the men’s game. Let’s hope the tournament itself lives up to the branding and the power it unleashes.
The Women’s international game is becoming more and more popular with each year and each tournament. With this brings more media attention, more columns written and more exposure and share of airtime on the big sports channels. The UEFA European Championships in England in 2022 is expected to draw big crowds. As the women’s domestic game reaches wider and larger audiences, so too will international games as fans seek to watch their stars on the world stage. International tournaments are bringing women’s football to the attention of the global masses. This branding work, because of its strength, will facilitate that and help the women’s game gain more recognition up until the tournament in 2023 and beyond.
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Images used for this article courtesy of FIFA.
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