decoration
SpiekermannPartners
 

 

Press Releases:

Spiekermann designs cup for Ukranian soccer championship

No PDF

Berlin, April 12th 2007 — A year ago, designer Erik Spiekermann called the mascot of the 2006 soccer world championship ʻGoleoʼ an absolute catastrophy. This started a broad discussion about whether an eagle would have been a better fit for Germany. Even a squirrel would have been fine for the nation of savers, or a dachshund, Spiekermann ranted.

Spiekermann’s complaints about the WM-Mascot were not only heard in Germany, but also in the Ukraine. One of the sponsors of Ukrainian Soccer took the designer by his word and hired him to design a cup for the Ukrainian soccer championship. The most important detail in the brief: a unique cup that is original and deeply anchored in Ukrainian history!

Erik Spiekermann was inspired and designed an abstract laurel wreath that the client demanded to be crowned by a giant crystal. A design that will spark a smile with Spiekermann’s fans who admire his usually sleek and simple style. Erik Spiekermann says: “Working with ornaments, gold and diamonds is considered kitsch in our culture. Over the top design is embarrassing or tardy at least. In Eastern Europe this is different. Here design needs to be eye catching, splendor is cult. Therefore I could not and didn’t want to design a cup with a big stone in the middle, as it is common here. This is he reason for designing a cup that symbolizes a laurel wreath so the winner can hang it around his neck, or at the least the winner’s head will be visible while holding up the trophy”.

Erik’s design was translated into 3D by the Berlin firm of griesvonkamptz and is currently being produced by one of the leading model agencies in the Ukraine. The cup will have to prove itself at the Ukrainian championships, but has already caused a stir when the news spread to the press last week. An official press conference is planned for next month. Whether the final piece will still look like the original design remains to be seen. Sports institutions tend to have their own dynamics when it comes to decision-making, and design by committee has never been successful.

SpiekermannPartners is the branding and design agency of Erik Spiekermann, Fabian Rottke, Ralf Weißmantel,, Susanna Dulkinys and Marianne Schuler. The internationally operating agency with offices in Berlin, London and San Francisco works for clients such as Bosch, Birkhäuser Verlag, Deutsche Bahn, Gravis, Lufthansa, n-tv, Nokia, Messe Frankfurt, Pioneer Investments and RWE on corporate design systems, newspaper layouts and exclusive fonts.

- We will gladly send you photos for royalty-free use -

PR Contact:
Achim Klapp, Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit | SpiekermannPartners
T +49.30.257 97 016
[email protected]
Friedrichstraße 126 | D-10117 Berlin
www.spiekermannpartners.com