It Could only be made possible by a collaboration between FIFA and Russia, for the brand to be approved by the cabinet of ministers and then officially being launched in the International Space Station.
Challenge
Balancing FIFA Requirements and National Political Approval
Brandia Central won the branding project for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, a four-year project spanning FIFA's marketing department in Switzerland, the Local Organising Committee in Moscow, and the creative team in Lisbon. Every logo proposal had to satisfy FIFA's global brand requirements, pass through approval by a cabinet of ministers in Russia, and still hold up creatively, three parties, each with a different agenda, all needing to align on the same mark.
Solution
Cross-Border Coordination & Hands-On Delivery
As the team's backbone, I coordinated continuously between FIFA, the Local Organising Committee, and the creative team, anticipating each side's likely objections before they were raised, negotiating changes that could satisfy FIFA's brand standards and Russia's political requirements at once, and staying flexible as the creative team's own vision had to adapt within those constraints. Beyond negotiation, I worked with the team to develop and deliver a comprehensive, extensive brand book and full artwork suite, and when FIFA's reviewers began leaving all their feedback directly inside Illustrator files, I learned Adobe Illustrator myself and moved to work hands-on with the artwork team, so nothing got lost in translation between departments.
Result
Global Launch, Reaching the International Space Station
The brand was delivered and launched worldwide across every FIFA touchpoint for both tournaments, reaching the kind of global visibility few brand projects ever do, including its presence being marked at the International Space Station.
Client: FIFA | Projects: 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Russia | Copywriting: José Cerqueira | Creative Director: Miguel Viana | Senior Designer: Carlos Constantino, Patrick Santos | Strategy: Miguel Melo | Project Manager: Nadia Pestry | Project Director: Filipa Roubalo | Final Art: Rui Henrique
Cross-Border Stakeholder Coordination | Negotiation | Brand Guidelines Development | Adobe Illustrator | Project Management | Political & Stakeholder Sensitivity | High-Pressure Delivery | Global Brand Identity Delivery and roll-out | Brand Consultancy