Marcus Rashford Best foot forward - Bringing life to Marcus Rashford’s progressive youth programme with Nike. 2022

Changing the game.

Continuing our relationship with Nike Passback, our identity for the initiative’s new programme, Play Forward, led by footballing superstar Marcus Rashford, sets to unite Nike and Rashford’s shared commitment to change.

Illustrating the footballer’s renowned dedication to the UK’s most vulnerable, Play Forward goes beyond the confines of the pitch – giving disadvantaged kids a communal space for sport and support.

Representing Rashford and his uplifting community-focused mentality, our visual identity for the academy embraces the joyful connection between people and players. Using the brand as an opportunity to show the game as something greater than the sum of its parts.

Pitch-perfect play.

Play Forward’s celebratory identity is led by the notion of rising above adversity, visually exploring how movement, sport and play bring people together – on and off the pitch. This is whimsically embodied throughout the interconnected forms of the wordmark, where each character supports the other. Incomplete in isolation.

Individual and uplifting, the identity relies on a balance between visual elements, such as its contrast between sharp typography and candid analogue scribbles. This playful distinction is similarly seen in the unconventional, offset identity structure, realising both the individuality at the brand’s core and the energy of the sport itself.

This spirit is further captured in the Play Forward’s double arrow motif, maintaining the theme of connection. Keeping people on track, pushing them forward, and forging the way for others.