Things #16: It’s all kicking off in this week’s footy-themed Things!

Date
12 June 2014

Warning: This may be the worst football piece you read this week. Or ever. My friends are going to be in stitches when they learn that I’m curating something football-related. In my defence, I was the first girl on my primary school football team until I dropped out after a couple weeks because they wouldn’t let me play wearing yellow tights. My mum’s German, and they often win the World Cup, and my dad’s a massive Manchester City fan, which he never stops talking about, so maybe I do have a tiny bit of authority on the subject.

For the past few weeks at the It’s Nice That office, straight after the mail has been delivered, the despairing words “If I get one more football chart…” have been kicking about quite a bit. The sheer amount of football-related paraphernalia delivered to our door demonstrates how excited design studios get about The World Cup all over the world, and despite my not knowing what any of the diagrams, check boxes and symbols actually mean, the graphics and illustrations that have been sent to us are definitely on target.

All of the football-related designs shooting into the office have been a something of a game-changer, and we decided that we should probably dedicate an entire Things to showcasing some of our new football finds. Anyway, that’s enough expert punditry from me. Before I’m dropped, it’s time to kick off this week’s Things Footy Special! We shoot, we score.

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Rich Fairhead: The Ones To Watch? and Shit Hot Hair Cuts?

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Rich Fairhead: The Ones To Watch?

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Rich Fairhead: Shit Hot Hair Cuts?

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Rich Fairhead: Shit Hot Hair Cuts?

Rich Fairhead: The Ones To Watch? and Shit Hot Hair Cuts?

To get the ball rolling, these candied caricatures of World Cup’s up-and-coming stars are in a total league of their own. Rich Fairhead’s simple positioning of players against the white paper is very effective, and we especially like the intense detail that has gone into the wiry renderings of wisps and curls of hair. Shit Hot Hair Cuts? proves that sculpting a footballers curls is an art-form in itself, and you can almost feel the rock hard gel texture of the player’s locks when you look at Rich’s joyous pastel portraits. 
www.richfairhead.co.uk

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Benjamin Prescott: World Cup Wallchart 2014

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Benjamin Prescott: World Cup Wallchart 2014

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Benjamin Prescott: World Cup Wallchart 2014

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Benjamin Prescott: World Cup Wallchart 2014

Benjamin Prescott: World Cup Wallchart 2014

This candy-floss pink statistical wall chart seamlessly combines two things that I know absolutely nothing about, ie. football and mathematics (there are 12 players in a team, right?). But what I do know is that the neat and methodical design and lay-out of the chart is absolutely striking, and that graphic designer Benjamin Prescott definitely knows the score.
www.benjaminprescott.co.uk

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WTF Creative: Wavy Tackle Prints

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WTF Creative: Wavy Tackle Prints

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WTF Creative: Wavy Tackle Prints

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WTF Creative: Wavy Tackle Prints

WTFCreative: Wavy Tackle Prints

At this stage of the game, it’s probably time to take a little break, and these Wavy Tackle posters are cool and breezy and just right for a little half time refreshment. The clunky stamps of whistles and watermelons, pizza and parakeets, and great dollops of sun umbrellas, make me feel like maybe I am missing out on something… If I had to pick a side, my favourite of the four Risoprint posters is definitely the one featuring an array of plasters and injections and all things health and safety, and which has the words “The best defence and attack" written in a broken boned typography that spews garish orange ink blood. Goal!
www.wtfcreative.com

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Karoshi: Brazil World Cup 2014

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Karoshi: Brazil World Cup 2014

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Karoshi: Brazil World Cup 2014

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Karoshi: Brazil World Cup 2014

Karoshi: Brazil World Cup 2014

This bold but subtle poster has been screen printed in silver onto Ebony Colourplan, and it comes with a metallic pen so that you can eagerly record much-anticipated results. Karoshi have also made a website and an app, which you can colour customise so that it reflects your team and your time zone. This striking print has been hanging up on our wall, ready to go, and will ensure that we keep score of the World Cup in monochromatic style.
www.teamkaroshi.com

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The Illustrated Game: The Fly On The Ball: World Cup Special

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The Illustrated Game: The Fly On The Ball: World Cup Special

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The Illustrated Game: The Fly On The Ball: World Cup Special

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The Illustrated Game: The Fly On The Ball: World Cup Special

The Illustrated Game: The Fly On The Ball: World Cup Special

Alice Devine, the illustrator behind this curious and colourful publication, did a fantastic talk for us at our recent football-themed Nicer Tuesdays. We adore her sketchy, vibrant drawings, which accompany whimsical football related poems written by Alice’s brother, Dr. Johnny Drain. They’re definitely not off side. Included in the bright pages are odes to famous teams, an epic rendering of Puyol’s Last Super, and mesmerising football pitches that clearly belong in a surrealist painting. Alice and Johnny are definitely a zine dream-team, and it’s great to stumble across such creative football fanatics. Now where’s my face paint to paint that St.George’s cross on my face…
www.theillustratedgame.com

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Madeleine Morley

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