Dezeen Magazine

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

Neville Brody designs typeface for England 2014 football kit

News: British graphic designer Neville Brody has created a typeface featuring a subtle pinstripe that will be worn by the England football team at the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

Neville Brody was asked by Nike, the designers of the two kits the England football team will wear in Brazil this summer, to create a typeface that will be used for the names and numbers of each of the players.

"The core inspiration was to focus on the intersection between flair and workmanlike reliability," said Brody in a statement.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

"The industrialised suggestion of a stencil was simultaneously based on a pinstripe motif, combining style with no-frills efficiency," explained the designer.

The result is a curved typeface that will come in dark blue on the team's all white home kit and utilises a diagonal pinstripe in a darker shade of blue to add texture.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

The letters come in a san-serif font with a tall, narrow silhouette and tight spacing, while England's three lions logo is incorporated into the large stencil-style numbers on the back.

"Small touches emphasise the idea of innovation, invention and surprise, built around a more geometric structure," said Brody.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

The kit was inspired by England's all-white strip worn during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and the knights of St George.

Silver is used in a metallic weave that surrounds the England badge and also depicts a single star, indicating the team's single World Cup win in 1966.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

"We wanted to add some small detail that echoed the glow of the armour worn by St George," said Nike football creative director Martin Lotti in a statement at the kit's release.

Satin tape is used on the shoulder seams to add a further design detail.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

The away shirt comes in red and replaces the V-neck collar of the home jersey with a round one. Brody's typeface will feature in white on the rear.

There is also an optical illusion of St George's Cross, which Nike has said cannot be seen up close, coming into focus only when viewed from a distance.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup

The new home kit will debut in the friendly with Peru at Wembley on 30 May.

Neville Brody typeface for England Football team at 2014 World Cup