Every year I call out my favorite holiday swag. Well at least I think I’ve done it every year (or maybe just some years, or perhaps never before, in any case it doesn’t matter). This season the winner of the “this is not going to be regifted prize” goes to Johnny Selman, whose World Cup soccer ball is the most surprisingly uplifting object that has come through the mail in this awful year of low expectations. This is at the Zenith of design. The ball comes with a smartly designed playbook describing the significance of each visual symbol. I ask Selman to talk more about it below.
Our studio was no exception to the enchantment of the 2018 World Cup. As we counted down the days to kick-off, lines were drawn, dividing rooting interests and paving the way for some good-natured smack talk. When the games commenced the air was filled collective “ooh’s and aah’s”, screams and perhaps a few stray expletives. We quickly realized we needed to channel our obsession into a creative outlet. Our Design Director, Anne Di Lillo proposed to commemorate the event with a design for each of of the national teams posted daily to the @selman_fc Instagram account. Anne developed some design parameters to keep the illustrations working as a set. The entire Selman crew joined in the spirit and contributed illustrations. When it dawned on us that a there were 32 team illustrations and 32 panels on a traditional ball, we had no choice but to create a custom Selman WC18 match ball and companion booklet.”
