AN EXHIBITION VISIT: DESIGNING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

INSPIRATION

An exhibition visit : The Design Museum, London

‘FOOTBALL: DESIGNING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME’

I know football is a little ‘off topic’ for a homewares shop but bear with me. I am interested in design in all its capacities. I think ideas, creativity, excitement are fueled not by looking at the things you already know you like but by taking inspirations from many different sources; music, art, theatre, graphics, dance, street culture, literature, sport, cinema… So, with this in mind, we went to see Designing The Beautiful Game at the London Design Museum.

As always, it is the stories that delight me, the events that lead to the change, to new development, to innovation. Take these leather boots (pictured above), these have specially made leather studs (just visible). Leather studs were introduced after the Football Association banned nails (yes!) from the soles of boots. The leather studs were an innovation but they doubled the weight of the boots when in rained!

11-panel T-model leather ball. This design was used in the first ever FIFA World Cup tournament in Uruguay, 1930.

Aerodynamic advances: science, engineering and design all come together to make this ball which was designed by Nike in 2020 following 8 years of research and testing. This, Nike claim, has a 30% truer ‘flight’ due to the way the air flows over the ball.

“As a ball moves through space, air grips its surface, slowing it down and causing changes in direction. This football consists of only four panels and is covered in an aerodynamic geometric pattern of grooves called AerowSculpt” (Nike)

Logo Feat: there are lots of examples of professionals having favourites; a favourite pencil for drawing, a favourite knife for a chef, so it’s no surprise that sportsmen and women are the same. In 1994 German player Matthias Sammer insisted on playing in his adidas boots despite his club being sponsored by Nike. He got over the issue by covering the adidas three stripes logo with a handmade Nike logo (see picture above)!

Ida Sport Football Boots, 2020. A football boot designed and engineered specifically for women.

Focusing exclusively on designing footwear for female athletes, dedicated brands, like Ida Sports, are now redressing the gender bias that has traditionally made it harder for women to compete on an equal footing (!). These boots have a narrower heel, wider forefoot and a higher arch, a design that was arrived at after extensive testing and feedback.

Of course it wasn’t just boots and balls. There were bespoke graphic typefaces, kit designs, dot & line illustrations of famous formations and the architecture of stadia. It won’t be for everyone, but I for one really enjoyed it. It’s open until 29th August 2022.

The Design Museum, 224 - 238 Kensington, High Street, London, W8 6AG