Nike Developed Type for the World Cup

—Collaborating with two renowned graphic designers, Wim Crouwel and Neville Brody, Nike designed several types and variations of fonts for a few teams at this year’s World Cup. 

The unique fonts for the Nike teams were designed as an extension of the ‘pride’ elements of each kit. As per the descriptions, the type was chosen to be both historically and culturally relevant to the country, such as the stylized ITC avante garde font for France. Check below for a brief summation on some of the fonts and type as described by Nike and Design Boom.

Brazil – Fundição Brazil by NIKE football
The style of the name and number is inspired by the classic fonts widely used on Brazilian hand printed street posters. the name and number on each kit have been carefully designed, with micro fine pinholes for moisture management and cooling, and a fluorescent outline to aid visibility.

France – ITC avante garde
NIKE worked on a stylized version of ITC avante garde, that could only be described as ‘French’. The French crest is embroidered on the bottom of each player’s number.

USA – REX by font fabric
REX by font fabric is a modern, angular font that recalls the angular numbers used commonly by U.S. sport teams. each number on the back of the jersey houses a small U.S. soccer crest at the bottom.

Portugal – Ronaldo designed by NIKE football
the name and numbers on the back of the home jersey have been specially created, and are inspired by the old typefaces used on traditional portuguese signage. the custom font is a modern take on art deco lettering.

England – Case Brody designed by Neville brody & NIKE football
‘It has been an extraordinary honor to design the fonts for the England national team. the core inspiration was to focus on the intersection between flair and workmanlike reliability. small touches emphasize the idea of innovation, invention and surprise, built around a more geometric structure. the industrialized suggestion of a stencil was simultaneously based on a pinstripe motif, combining style with no-frills efficiency.’ – Neville Brody