Umbro Brand Pattern + Packaging System
Our Role: Concepting, Art Direction, Design, Illustration + Writing
There is nothing more British than football, and there is only one authentic Football brand. Umbro had nearly a century of history under their cleats, and they wanted to highlight their historical domination in the market. We created a newspaper-inspired pattern, culling original copy and gems from their massive archive. It was then carried through the brand—from shoebox tissue paper to apparel hangtags. The newspaper texture also found its way onto their new brand ID, enlivening the simple mark.
For Umbro’s massive multi-faceted product line of footwear, equipment, and apparel, we started from scratch and created a clear classification system. Our packaging design reflected the company’s dedication to craft, functionality, and sports tailoring. We sourced recycled materials that felt hand-crafted, yet luxe. Stickers delineated product-specific information and reduced the variety of boxes and tags that needed to be printed. Equipment bags were inspired by onion bags.
Topher Sinkinson was part of the team that worked on this project while he was a partner at makelike. He is no longer at makelike.
