For many Americans, the name Jude Bellingham might not mean a damn thing. But to the rest of the world, the moniker is attached to one of the planet’s most promising rising soccer stars. The 20-year-old English footballer burst onto the scene a few years back, first for the German club Borussia Dortmund and then making the big move to one of the most illustrious clubs in world football, Real Madrid of the Spanish La Liga. He has dominated every step of the way as an is-there-anything-he-can’t-do midfielder and has, in turn, garnered massive commercial partnerships with the likes of Adidas.
Though partnering with young ballers like Bellingham, Adidas has recently been looking to the past for their slate of new releases. There’s nothing subtle about the brand tapping into the power of nostalgia within sports design, and a recent leak shows that Adidas is plotting to unveil a logo of a silhouetted Bellingham not unlike the quite literally iconic Michael Jordan Jumpman logo from Nike.
This news has already elicited a litany of polarized hot takes, so I sought a few more from trusted sports design correspondent Todd Radom. As a prolific sports designer and branding expert, Radom’s hot takes are more than just hot: they’re credible. I threw a few questions his way about this logo news, and he was happy to offer some insider insights.
“You come at the king, you best not miss.”
Is Adidas creating their own version of a famous logo from their direct competitor, a design diss track? How is this sort of thing typically received in the sports design world?
“You come at the king; you best not miss.” There’s no missing the connection and the brash statement here. It’s hard to quantify the global impact of the Jumpman logo, which is now 36 years old.
I’m not sure I’d equate this to a “diss track,” but I would say that the messaging here is unmistakable. Sports fans (and, in this case, sneakerheads and streetwear fans) will know what’s happening here, which is essentially a glomming onto long-established brand equity. The sports design world will likely split into two groups: Here in America, many might well view this as a copycat exercise, more or less, while the rest of the world may well chalk it up to football being the global sport that it is, regardless of the phenomena that Jordan, the NBA, and the Bulls provided more than a generation ago.
Visually speaking, what do you think of this (reported) Jude Bellingham silhouette as a logo? For me, it’s not as compelling or active as the shape of Michael Jordan dunking.
Agreed! A static image cannot compete with the otherworldly silhouette of an airborne Jordan. Can you believe that he could fly like that? How aspirational. Tack on all those years of accrued equity, and this new logo pales in comparison in many ways. Any of us can raise our arms in victory, but few, if any, of us can be like Mike.
Any of us can raise our arms in victory, but few, if any of us can be like Mike.
Adidas is leaning heavily on reviving old designs and products right now (bringing back Predators cleats is at the top of the list). What are your thoughts on appealing to nostalgia and relying on reboots (no pun intended) instead of being more forward-thinking and innovative and creating entirely new designs?
I say it all the time: we live in unsettled times. Nostalgia is like a big heaping bowl of mashed potatoes— it makes us feel good. It reminds us of better and simpler times (even if they weren’t, shhh!) And when it comes to sports, it can remind us of past glory, uncomplicated and easily received. All that said, I love a nostalgic approach when appropriate; I’ve built part of my career off of that. But the world doesn’t stop moving, and new consumers and enthusiasts deserve stuff that reflects their own worldview and sensibilities. Besides, everything that’s new now will be considered “retro” in 20 years or so.
The world doesn’t stop moving, and new consumers and enthusiasts deserve stuff that reflects their own worldview and sensibilities.