Grant Hutchinson / Posts

Tuesday
June 13, 2006

4:14 PM

Grant Hutchinson
Fifamann

Spiekermann spanks the World Cup

Who better to lay the design smack down on the current wall of World Cup noise than Germany's own Erik Spiekermann? He takes his boots to the logo ("…it just flies in the face of effective communication."), the mascot ("…a typical effort by too many parties."), and the designers behind the project ("Don't give up your day job.") Ouch. If anyone knows a little something about information design, it's probably Herr Spiekermann. Via Newstoday

Comments

It may be me - but I cannot suss out the World Cup logo. Is there supposed to be a '2006' amongst all the faces?

And then I said …
Mark
  • Tuesday June 13, 2006 4:21 PM
  • Mark

There's definitely a zero and a six in there... of course, they're surrounded by so many other superfluous elements and ball-shaped effluvium, that it's difficult to discern. Sadly, many of the previous World Cup logo designs are only marginally better.

FIFA World Cup 2006 Logo

And then I said …
Grant Hutchinson

Oh c'mon, Mexico 86 is *awesome* (and very reminiscent of the Expo 86 logo). And the designer of Italia 90 is obviously the spiritual forefather of the current crop of stencil artists...

And then I said …
Pamela Haskell

Absolutely. That's why I said marginally 'better'. I personally like the fact that the Mexico 86 logo has a built-in copyright symbol. Although that didn't prevent the trademark holders from a snit of redundant bugging.

And then I said …
Grant Hutchinson

Speaking of which, take a look at this site. Eleven agencies. One mission. That's what creatives should do, ya?

And then I said …
Bram Pitoyo
  • Wednesday June 14, 2006 2:03 PM
  • Bram Pitoyo

Mr. Spiekermann flunked in this one. Too many elements disturbing the eye and none of them communicating football which is the main element to me.

And then I said …
Paulo PInto
  • Thursday June 15, 2006 4:52 PM
  • Paulo PInto

Paulo, I think that is Mr. Spiekermann's whole point... Remember, he wasn't involved in the design of the logo or anything else pertaining to this year's World Cup. He's simply complaining about the same things you are mentioning.

And then I said …
Grant Hutchinson

Agreed - there are too many elements in the logo. It seems that the target audience are little kids. The best part of the logo is the typeface for 'Germany'. What an eyesore.

And then I said …
Chuck S.
  • Friday June 16, 2006 12:07 PM
  • Chuck S.

If you do like the typeface for ‘Germany’, go over to the FontShop Germany website and check the free download font. ;)

And then I said …
Yves Peters
  • Sunday June 18, 2006 4:00 AM
  • Yves Peters

Small correction: it's Erik.

And then I said …
Stewf
  • Tuesday June 20, 2006 3:54 PM
  • Stewf

Thanks for the smack, Stewf. That's not the first time I've inadvertently misspelled Erik's name. Done fixed.

And then I said …
Grant Hutchinson

That logo is very much geared toward kids. I actually had a hard time seeing the '06' the first time I saw it. My eyes went every which way but up. Also I think I was trying to find the '20' of 2006.

But a lot of (world) football's advertising is for kids, and how they can enjoy the game with their parents and other family; since there watching it no matter what the logo is.

But the logo gets zero points for that obscure wannabe stencil/handbrushed version of the trophy in the lower circle. That I think really kills it.

And then I said …
Cee-Lo
  • Wednesday June 21, 2006 10:47 AM
  • Cee-Lo

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