From left to right: the third, first and second set of the absolute. Author: Provided by interviewees
In sports, in addition to dedication, dedication and talent, it is important to be recognizable on the field. Therefore, uniforms are a fundamental part of this world, where symbols and colors signify an integral element of the identity of each group or nation.
The new kit and shield that the national football team will wear at the next Gold Cup and some of the next challenges in the near future was recently unveiled. The result resulting from the connection between the Cuban Football Association (AFC) and Joma, the Spanish sportswear and equipment company, has been well received by the fans, who hope to have access to them as soon as possible through various channels to be announced by the AFC.
Learn more about the creative process that led to the redesign of not only the T-shirts, but also the Lions ID.
from the caribbean, Jr talked to designer Ariel Pérez Zayas, who, in addition to being the goalkeeper of the national futsal team, was the main person responsible for the implementation of this project.
“For four years, I worked with the AFC to slowly change and improve the image of Cuban football, which was a bit stagnant and behind in terms of design around the world. We started by redesigning the IDs for the National Football League (NFL), Futsal, and other categories. We then moved on to a bigger project, the redesign of all football backboards in different provinces of the country, which I developed in just six months,” said Ariel.
— What was the basis of the new visual concept, both for the form and for the shield?
“Since I started my journey in the national preselection, I have noticed design problems presented by the Association’s shield (the round one that was on the island of Cuba), which in turn was the same as that of the national team. On my own inspiration I started working on a new concept and as soon as I had a proposal I submitted it to the AFC but coincidentally another professional colleague was already authorized to do this redesign and it was in the process of being approved so we needed something – something to do. leave mine in the drawer. A few years later, this ID improved on the previous image, but still had some readability and reproducibility flaws.
In addition to being a designer, Ariel defends the goal of the national futsal team. Photo: provided by interviewees
In 2021, I was given the task of changing the image of the AFC, and in the course of researching other federations, I realized that many of them have an identifier different from the national team, because the national team is the face of the country for the world, while the institution itself is the governing body of football in the country and all competitions in it.
Therefore, we took as an image strategy to separate the frequency response from the selection and make different identifiers, albeit related to each other.
We first designed one for the AFC and then I went back to the design I kept for the national team shield. To do this, we decided to change the abbreviation AFC to the name of the country, because abroad the name of Cuba is more important than the name of the association, and secondly, because as an athlete I know that there is a feeling, as the Cubans say, four letters on the chest.
The design is based mainly on our flag, its colors and the elements that make it up. As you can see in the new shield, I’ve only changed the red triangle that carries the star to a round shape representing a soccer ball, made up of an element that repeats five times concentrically, and which forms a star inside for a closing effect. .
The evolution of the selection shield. Photo: provided by interviewees
— Now, as for the T-shirts, how did you notice the reaction of people?
“I saw a lot of positive comments on the net, and others, as we expected, are also negative or controversial. Some people say that it looks like other uniforms, especially the ones that the US has worn in the past, but because of that, this time our uniforms weren’t personalized, but were chosen from a catalog that Joma has, so all these designs are part of the brand.
As a result, the combination of dark blue and red was the only one that Joma had that resembled the colors of our flag. That’s why we chose this North American-like combination. We, however, never imagined that there would be any resemblance. In the world of design, it’s very difficult that there aren’t shirts with certain things in common these days.
— As a designer, do you think that we should try to create or try to establish a design style for the collection, like others, which, with more or less changes, are always recognizable?
“As for the design style, of course we want to achieve something similar to Argentina, Brazil or the Netherlands, teams that are recognizable by the identity of their uniforms. We want to ensure that in at least one of the kits, be it home kit or away kit, we achieve a style that identifies us.
What I really want to clarify is that due to the urgency that was needed for the Golden Cup that is inevitable, the decision was made to choose a uniform from the Joma catalog, but it is written in the contract to personalize our appearance. .
What did it mean to you to take part in this project?
— It’s a great pride to be able to combine my two passions — a career as a football player and a career as a designer. And if in this way I can help improve the visualization of football in the country, so much the better. To see how the national team wears my clothes is a huge achievement.
Source: Juventud Rebelde