30 Incredible Women Designers from the World of FIFA!
Featured Image: Unplash/Slava Bowman
As every fan’s heart throbs to know the future of FIFA World Cup; our eyes are glued to the screens to watch closely every match, every goal, every winner, and every loser of World Football. We are all desperately waiting to witness yet another battle of the fittest and the finest to be the ultimate world champion. For today’s article, I am going to merge my craze for Football and my complete dedication to great design and bring forth something that would be of great interest to you.
There are 32 teams that have qualified to enter the final tournament of 2014 FIFA World Cup. I was unable to find any noteworthy designers from Ivory Coast and Nigeria but you would find 30 up and coming designer portfolios that look promising enough from the rest of the regions and their countries. Moreover, these aren’t just any designers you could find easily without having to dig deeper into the online graphic design portfolios. These are 30 marvelous women designers who are passionate about their work and are already being noticed on certain designer platforms. If you don’t believe me, check out their work and be just as inspired as I am right now. Have a long, thoughtful, look at these impressive portfolios.
Good Luck!
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
From the AFC zone of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, we have four winners, i.e. Australia, Iran, Japan, and South Korea. Here are the four star designers from those countries:
• Olivia King | Australia
Australia – the land of Sydney Opera house and Kangaroos! To a person who has never been to Australia in real life, these are the two images that come to mind most quickly. Olivia King is from that very country. She is a brilliant graphic designer, who works with print design, typography, and illustration. She is a freelancer with a glass full of red wine in one hand.
• Homa Delvaray | Iran
Homa Delvaray belongs to the land of exotic architecture with some of the most impressive buildings you would find anywhere else! She graduated from the University of Tehran in Visual Communications in 2006. Since then, she has been freelancing as a graphic designer and an art director for projects dealing with society and culture of her community. From 3D typography to maximalist multi-voiced presentation, she can work wonders to please the senses in a unique and modern way.
• Hiroko Sakai | Japan
Just as China makes me think of the Shaolin Temple, Japan reminds me of the Samurai warriors. Japanese people are extremely talented in the field of art, whether it’s martial arts or calligraphy art. Hiroko Sakai proves her worth as a proud Japanese graphic designer who can create minimalist graphics just as beautifully as some intricate illustrations.
• Aram Kwak | South Korea
Oh, she is a Korean Barbie and her work is just as amazing as her looks. The performance of her national Football team hasn’t been up to the mark in this World Cup but she herself has places to go. The colors and neatness of design really inspires the viewers to take the product seriously. She focuses on motions graphics, graphic design, and animation.
Confederation of African Football (CAF)
There were a total of five winners from the CAF section who got qualified to compete in the final tournament of 2014 FIFA World Cup. The winners included Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. Sadly, there were no noteworthy women designers I could find from the last two countries. If you know of any, please do share with us in the comments sections below.
• Noella Ekezie | Algeria
Algeria is from the group H of the CAF zone. From this country, we present to you Noella Ekezie who is the founder and creative director of Ellae Creative. The studio is a major multi-disciplinary design firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. Noella, herself, is a Parsons School of Design’s graduate from New York. She is known for her innovative thinking and creative solutions for graphic design, branding, and print design needs.
• Kalika Kastein | Cameroon
The Republic of Cameroon is neighbors with Nigeria. Kalika Kastein happens to be a pretty good graphic designer from that country. She also focuses on print design and branding but her designs haven’t yet reached that level of maturity that indicates a fecund imagination. However, she has a promising portfolio, and with a little more dedication to work, we can surely expect a lot from her.
• Maame Gyatseba Enyimayew | Ghana
Good women designers from the CAF countries are hard to find. I found Maame Gyatseba Enyimayew from Ghana but I’m sure she can do much better if she spends more time in exploring and creating interesting concepts of graphic design. Currently, her portfolio on Behance exhibits only a single project designed for a wedding invitation card company. I, and surely many others, would love to see a richer design portfolio from her.
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
Costa Rica, Honduras, the United States, and Mexico were the ultimate qualifiers for world cup’s final tournament in Brazil. Some brilliant designers from those countries are as follows:
• Maria Daniela Espinoza | Costa Rica
A Grecia, Cost Rica-based graphic designer, Maria Daniela Espinoza focuses on illustration, product design, and digital art. As a freelancer, she has developed conceptual art and 3D modeling of characters. Different levels of technique, perspective, and skill can be viewed in her design portfolio on Behance or LinkedIn.
• Nikki Rodriguez | Honduras
Honduras too qualified for the final World Cup tournament. Our star designer from that country is Nikki Rodriguez who lives and works in Tegucigalpa. She has a special focus on graphic design, digital art, and typography. Most of the projects in her portfolio reveal her inspiration that generates from a profound sense of wonderment. Mostly, she is playing with the elements of space, astrology, and the negative vs. positive that indicates an explorative mind.
• Marina Zertuche | Mexico
Mexico was a fourth-place finisher who had to play a two-game series against New Zealand to get to the finals. From there we have Marina Zertuche who is based in Monterrey, Mexico. You can find many interesting projects in her portfolio with an emphasis on clean graphic design, editorial design, and branding.
• Sasha Vinogradova | United States
Can I just say that I simply loved her portfolio? Obviously, being from a country like USA gives her an advantage over many others, especially, those who come from the CAF zone. But, her work exhibits professionalism and a variety of moods, perspectives, and design techniques that you would find in few others. She also focuses on digital art, web design and web development.
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)
South America is not just famous for its sensational tourist destinations; it is also the region for some of the best Football teams in the world. The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Following are some of their finest women graphic designers.
• Daniela Raskovsky | Argentina
Argentina is the land of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. It is also the land of Daniela Raskovsky who is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a graphic designer, typographer, and an illustrator. While studying at the University of Buenos Aires, she also worked as an assistant professor in Pablo Cosgaya’s typography chair. Her designs are rich with cultural and traditional art.
• Isabela Rodrigues | Brazil
Brazil is the host nation of 2014 FIFA World Cup. Hence it qualified automatically without having to play in CONMEBOL qualifying matches. Our Brazilian star designer Isabela Rodrigues is the founder of Sweety Branding Studio which offers creative and branding related services. She mainly focuses on graphic and packaging design.
• Giulia Marchetti | Chile
Gulia Marchetti is from Chile. With Eduardo Vargas, her team has a bright chance to reach the final of the World Cup. But, meanwhile, Marchetti who is an art director, digital artist, and an illustrator is creating wonderful 3D graphics and building on a pretty decent portfolio.
• Maria Fernanda Ancines S. | Colombia
Maria Fernanda (a.k.a. Mafe) is an art director from Colombia; the country of Radamel Falcao and Teófilo Gutiérrez. She is an advertising creative who studied in various design schools of both Colombia and Argentina. Her work revolves around art direction and branding and you can see most of her projects related to Coca Cola included in her portfolio.
• Gabriela Corral | Ecuador
Gabriela Corral’s work is heavily influenced by the cultural elements of her country. She is from Cuenca, Ecuador, where is she works as a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer. Currently, she is working for the Alianza Francesa. I really loved the color palettes she works with.
• Micaela Carbajal | Uruguay
Finally, here comes the country of Luis Suárez. Among the 206 goals scored during the 74 qualifying matches from the CONMEBOL section, Suárez alone scored the highest number of goals, i.e. 11 goals in all. Micaela Carbajal is also from Montevideo, Uruguay. The neat design and color schemes in her art really prop up the graphics. She focuses on branding and illustration.
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
Thirteen teams qualified to the final round of FIFA World Cup tournament from the European Zone. Those included Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland. I obviously found many more amazing designers from these well-developed countries than I have listed here, but all the following designers have their own unique approach to graphic design and a distinctive style of work. Check them out!
• Jolien Brands | Belgium
Jolien Brands is a very talented graphics design student and freelancer from Antwerp, Belgium. Her country was in the seeding pot 3 of the UEFA zone and eventually qualified for the finals. Jolien is currently enrolled in a bachelor degree at Sint Lucas University College of Art and Design. She also focuses on print design and typography.
• Senka Mušić | Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first major tournament since their independence. Senka Mušić is a graphic design and photography student at The Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2012, her entry won the best photo of Sarajevo title among four thousand other photos.
• Iva Hrvatin | Croatia
The graphic designer and illustrator from Zagreb, Croatia, Iva Hrvatin is a dreamer who loves colors and music, and who wanted to be a pop star in her younger years. Now her work involves graphic design, creative directions, and illustrations. Croatia is coming face to face with Mexico today so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
• Joanna Kosinska | England
So they don’t have David Beckham in the squad now but there are still many good players such as, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Unfortunately, England has never won a World Cup since 1966, when it actually hosted the tournament. From that country, our star designer Joanna Kosinska is a freelance graphic designer with an amazing portfolio. She is based in West Yorkshire and loves to create logos, brochures, and websites.
• Marion Dufour | France
France was in the second seeding pot of the European zone. From there, we have Marion Dufour who is a graphic design student pursuing a Master’s degree in Visual Communications and Graphic Design from the Intuit Lab School. Her work includes graphics, print design and editorial design. Her work is powerful and technique is modern. Check out her branding and advertising projects on her website.
• Chloe Galea | Germany
Chloe Galea is a Berlin-based Graphic Designer and Junior Art Director. She has previously worked at Pencil Agency in London but now she has moved to Germany where she is taking projects from local and international clients. Her national football team is one of my all-time favorites, no compromises on that.
• Kanella | Greece
The Greek team was placed in the seeding Pot 1. It is one of the best national teams from the UEFA section. Our Greek star graphic designer is Kanella from Athens who is a design addict and loves to experiment with objects and illustrations. Art direction and graphic design are her forte. She her worked in both London and Athens but now she is teaching at TEI of Athens and expanding her online portfolio as Kanella.
• Panfilia Iannarone | Italy
Italy is one of my personal favorite countries whether it comes to Football or art and design. Panfilia is a bubbly and talented graphic designer from that very country. She has experience in illustration, character making, graphics for web and print, interface design, typography and is now conquering the logo design world.
• Marta Veludo | Netherlands
The Dutch are a wonderful nation. In Football, they hold the record of playing the most World Cup finals without ever winning a single tournament. Marta Veludo is also an art director, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.she combines her skills as all three and creates visual identities, fashion editorials, set design, and motion.
• Sara Westermann | Portugal
The country of Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal is amazing when it comes to art and design. Sara Westermann is one example of a young and talented art director, graphic designer, and an illustrator. She specializes in editorial design, illustration, branding, photography, and art direction. She has been working at the Casa da Musica since 2007 but she also takes freelance work whenever possible.
• Masha Portnova | Russia
Unfortunately, Russia has not been able to perform its best in the World Cup so far. Let’s see if they pass the group stage of this tournament or not. From the Russian federation, our today’s star graphic designer is Masha Portnova. Like many others, she also focuses on Graphic design, branding, and art direction.
• Lorena G | Spain
Spain is the defending champion whose performance has really disappointed fans in this World Cup tournament. Lorena G, however, won’t disappoint you because she tries to achieve sophistication and purity of design. She is a Barcelona-based designer and her work mainly revolves around graphic design, print design and art direction.
• Julia Geiser | Switzerland
Whenever I think of Switzerland, it reminds me of ice cream or the dark chocolate. Julia Geiser is post-industrial designer based in Berne, Switzerland. Her excellent portfolio will make you want to become a designer yourself. It exhibits a variety of patterns, colors, technique and very interesting concepts that you won’t find anywhere else.
For every designer who happens to be a Football lover, this summer would be a tough call as they would either be compromising on watching a Live match or their work. Let us know how well it’s working out for you right here in the comments.
Cool idea! But Adrià is a male name. It’s calatan version for Adryan.