Football: Designing the Beautiful Game

Published by the Design Museum to accompany their major exhibition of the same name, this 304-page hardcover is the first comprehensive exploration of the design story behind football, examining how design has been deployed to push the world's most popular sport to its technical and emotional limits. Thematic chapters examine stadium master-planning, the materials science behind modern boots, the graphic design evolution of team badges, and grassroots initiatives pushing back against football's commercialization. More than 200 photographs document the game's visual and material culture: FIFA World Cup posters spanning decades, fan culture from across Europe and South America, cutting-edge kit and equipment, and the designed objects that surround professional and amateur football alike.

Contributors include architect Jacques Herzog, Adidas vice president of design Sam Handy, critic Justin McGuirk, historian Thomas Turner, analyst Statman Dave, and broadcaster Martin Tyler, each revealing the game from unusual angles. The narrative traces football's transformation from the earliest days of professional play through today's era of e-sports, vast global television audiences, and billion-dollar club valuations.