Nuw were asked to work on the concept development for the branding of UEFA's European Qualifiers.
Work was already underway with lead agency Jump when Nuw joined the project, and the logo, colourways, fonts and some design elements were already in place, as was the core creative concept which centred around the idea of embroidered badges on football shirts.
"Play with heart." is the proposition at the core of the brand, and it's the representation of the team shirt, badge and the heart logo that forms the basis of this ethos.
The ambition was to create a 'thread world', an environment where all the elements in it were, quite literally made from thread, as if we were entering the very fabric of the shirt, the badge and the game itself.
Taking this as our starting point we set about developing the idea so that it would work succesfully on screen and across the multitude of deliverables that a large project like this requires.
This involved developing the script and storyboard for the opening title sequence, which needed to have the flexibilty to be customised for 54 different European nations. We worked on the development of building embroidered badges in 3D and how the concept and elements could expanded across other platforms, digital, print, marketing assets etc.
The development period took 3 months, with the end result being the sign off, by UEFA, of the proposed visual route and concept.
The route was then taken into production by Jump, and is currently in use across Europe.
Title sequence 30 secs
In the opening sequence, we are taken on a journey through a world where excitment, celebration, athletic skill and energy are all woven together with fluid seamlessness, by the threads that make up the badge on a football shirt. This is an environment where the physical and emotive elements of the game - players, pitches, stadia, fans, excitment, passion and pride - are executed in a distinctive, dynamic and detailed visual style, placing the viewer at the heart of the game.
Team Badges
Central to the concept were the team badges. We decided that these needed to be modelled in CGI, rather than filmimg for real. CGI models would give the flexibility needed for the complex sequences in the title sequence and the models would also be usable in the other deliverables as well. Giving total control over their execution. In addition the brief required that a version of the title sequence be made for all 54 European football associations, the UEFA European Qualifiers logo and multiple sponsor logos as well. So CGI proved to be the most flexible creatively, and the most cost effective economically.
Below are some examples of test renders for different badges:-
Team strip variations.
As well as changing different nation badges, different coloured team shirts needed to factored in as well.
Within the sequence itself, we developed a visual system and language for the environment. The core of this was the idea that all the elements in each shot would be in the process of being rapidly stitched or weaved together. Enabling threads to form shapes quickly.
Diagram explaining the visual concept.
We also needed to develop ideas and solutions which would show how the visuals would be used on other media platforms.
