I found it fascinating to see how the kits have evolved over the years and figured some in the class might like to weigh in on favorite designs and color schemes. The current jersey, which was unveiled before the 2010 World Cup, features a Miss America style sash that I find absolutely hideous. The author of the blog disagrees with me, though. Personally, I would love to get my hands on the denim jersey from 1994 (which were worn when the USA hosted the World Cup that year) that is so ugly it's a masterpiece. Any thoughts?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Soccer Jersey Design
I'm a big soccer fan, and I'm eagerly anticipating the European Championships that will take place in Poland and Ukraine this summer. For me, the best part of the build up to a major international tournament is when the official jerseys are released. These are the official kits that players and fans will wear to represent their country - they are a source of pride and, sometimes, shame. I recently stumbled across an interesting blog that chronicles the past 25 years of US men's soccer jerseys:
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Cool Stephen. In the last World Cup there was some talk about the design of the US men's shoes. The design was supposed to confuse defenders making it appear that the feet were moving differently than they were. I like design of the jersey with the wavy red lines for the same reason-- it may confuse opponents. That one is also reminiscent of the American flag. It would be interesting to find out if jersey designs have any effect on the opponents' performance.
ReplyDeleteThese were really neat to look at! Thanks for sharing! I sorta had to laugh at some of them. Trying to look them from a designers perspective I felt like the colors were boring and bland! All of them...I am a bright colored kinda girl and I wanted them to POP! I thought that 1984 was pretty nice-bright red colors! I also thought that 1995 and 2006 looked like shirts that my Ken Barbie doll wore! But I would have to saw that my most favorite would be 2010-which goes agains Stephen's comment about not liking it b/c it resembled a Miss American sash-now I agree with you Stephen but I also loved that one! The colors and design look so CRISP and SHARP! It was my fav!!
ReplyDeleteAlso did 1994 make the other players dizzy?
Well I will have to say, I've never really been a soccer fan, so my take on the jersey colors and styles are fairly neutral. I did notice a few things: stripes and diagonals were a favorite and the v-neck started to take over in the late 80's early 90's. I also enjoyed the hairstyles! I kind of liked 1992 home because of the positioning of the stripes. And I'd have to agree with Jessica, I like the "Miss America" jersey. Looks sharp for sure!
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to look at the progression of jersey designs over the years. I would have to say that my favorites would be those from the 1980's and also the 2010 away jersey-- the colors are bold and the design is clean and simple. I think I like the jerseys from the 80's because they were pretty simple too.
ReplyDeleteI understand the use of jersey design to possibly confuse opponents, as Matt said, but I would worry that the jersey could be so busy that it also interferes with how their own teammates play!
My favorite jerseys were the ones with the stripe that you didn't quite care for. I really like how simple the design is and the bold colors. I also think Matt's comment it quite interesting. It is amazing that a shoe or shirt design could have an effect on an opponents performance.
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