Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
We leant heavily on the vibrant culture of London. I’m slightly biased as it’s my city of birth and I just love the place and Londoners in general. It’s a vibe. We were inspired by murals, street fashion, music fliers, traffic, architecture and just how busy and exciting London is on a day-to-day basis. Also, we wanted to dial up the volume graphically as this is the most intense time in the Champions League. It’s the knockout phase and everything is on the line. Two teams competing at the highest level. That had to be represented on the ball.
The lion is such an iconic symbol of England and Wembley, but we wanted to do it in a new way. We made the illustration quite aggressive, drawing on the idea of two lions competing. The colours are a more modern take on the red and yellow lions that appear in English heraldry, again injecting the graphic with this assertive, undeniable feeling. We didn’t want to be too literal with representing the lions on the ball; rather, we wanted the viewer to feel the energy.
My favourite Champions League ball of all time is the Cardiff Finale, with the dragon wrapping around inside the stars. It was a bit of an inspiration for this ball. I also grew up in Wales so there’s that emotional connection too. I watched a lot of Champions League football with my grandad when I was growing up. I never thought that I would have the chance to design the match ball, so it’s really an honour to be in this position.
Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
We leant heavily on the vibrant culture of London. I’m slightly biased as it’s my city of birth and I just love the place and Londoners in general. It’s a vibe. We were inspired by murals, street fashion, music fliers, traffic, architecture and just how busy and exciting London is on a day-to-day basis. Also, we wanted to dial up the volume graphically as this is the most intense time in the Champions League. It’s the knockout phase and everything is on the line. Two teams competing at the highest level. That had to be represented on the ball.
The lion is such an iconic symbol of England and Wembley, but we wanted to do it in a new way. We made the illustration quite aggressive, drawing on the idea of two lions competing. The colours are a more modern take on the red and yellow lions that appear in English heraldry, again injecting the graphic with this assertive, undeniable feeling. We didn’t want to be too literal with representing the lions on the ball; rather, we wanted the viewer to feel the energy.
My favourite Champions League ball of all time is the Cardiff Finale, with the dragon wrapping around inside the stars. It was a bit of an inspiration for this ball. I also grew up in Wales so there’s that emotional connection too. I watched a lot of Champions League football with my grandad when I was growing up. I never thought that I would have the chance to design the match ball, so it’s really an honour to be in this position.
Joe Stothard hit the back of the net when he was asked to design the adidas Finale for this season’s knockout stage. Ever since the first starball was introduced in 2000/01, it has been an iconic fixture of the Champions League, and the unveiling of the Finale at the start of the round of 16 has itself become an anticipated moment in the competition calendar. So, for a Londoner to be tasked with designing the ball to be used in the final of club football’s greatest tournament at Wembley Stadium was something extra-special. Here, the adidas senior graphic designer explains why.
It’s something I’ve grown up with, seeing it on the pitch, on the television and now around the world. All the history and great designs that have been created; it has such a legacy. The quality of the football being played with this icon… It’s one of the best projects you can work on as a graphic designer at adidas, if not the entire industry.
Wembley has always been the destination. Every kickaround or pick-up game we had as kids, the winning goal was celebrated like we were at Wembley. It’s one of the game’s most iconic stadiums. It’s synonymous with success in my eyes; just the name itself is enough to spark emotions and memories.
