That phrase sparked the idea to focus on literal shapes in the design, and that was how Uncommon discovered one that has long been important to both soccer and EA: the triangle.
Triangles are the most common pattern in soccer and frequently appear on the pitch. They have also been found in the isometric angles of EA’s first 8-bit experiences, the polygons that make up pixels in its modern games, and as the player control indicator that appears above athletes in the video games. It made sense, then, for EA Sports FC’s new logo to also be a triangle shape.
“[The triangle] has been hiding in plain sight. We just had to do a great job of revealing it,” said Uncommon co-founder Nils Leonard.
The big reveal
EA unveiled its triangular identity through a series of surprise appearances during a busy soccer week in April. Fans could see the logo in 128 games across global leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A. Stars such as David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane shared it through their own channels, and it popped up outside stadiums, on food wrappers and on merch such as scarves, flags and stickers. Pepsi also featured the design on some of its cans.
In an unplanned moment of publicity, Real Madrid player Karim Benzema held a flag with EA Sports FC’s logo in his teeth during a game.
“We felt like we’ll never be fully done, but that was a great milestone,” said Jackson.
The next chapter
As Jackson alludes to, unveiling the identity is “the first chapter in a longer story we need to tell,” he continued. EA has planned activities over the next few months to educate fans about the brand change. For example, it released a video starring British rapper Dave.
