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Creativity goes viral at FIFA World Cup

June 18, 2018
by Peter MacDonald

When he played right wing for the 91做厙 mens soccer team, Matt Wolff 12 was known for his speed, relentlessness on both sides of the ball and fun personality. To the guys, he was just Wolffie, the red-haired kid from Minneapolis. And his career after 91做厙 hasnt strayed far from the soccer field.

Matthew Wolff '12
Matthew Wolff '12 

Six years after running the flanks on Wachenheim Field, Wolff is a graphic designer at Nike and his logo and soccer uniform designs have made their way around the globe.

Most notably, Wolff is credited with designing the Nigeria mens national teams home kit (uniform) for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The design is being hailed as a top kit at the World Cup and is becoming a viral, cultural sensation. When it unveiled at Nikes London store, it sold out in just three hours. Around the world, Wolffs design is being hailed with phrases like instantly-iconic, the most stylish, and promoting Nigerian swagger.

Matt Wolff, he designed this home kit, He was inspired by the classic 1994 kit with the eagle wings. We kept pushing the design and pushing it and pushing it to see how far we could go until we were like...that just looks fire.

Nigerian team FIFA World Cup
Wolff's home kit design (center) is part of a collection of uniforms, warm up, and travel gear for the team and fans. [Photo: Nike]

Nigerias triangle-patterned home kit became not just the best one revealed for this tournament, writes Luis Paez-Pumar in It instantly became the hottest piece of soccer gear since Juventuss Drake-modeled pink jersey from the 2015-2016 season.  

Adds Nigeria wins the design competition here. The designers at Nike really did their homework and werent afraid to make bold choices. I love the pattern, I love how it looks like its in motion, and I love how it ties with the countrys culturetying with Nigerias green and white flag to a textile-style pattern inspired by its diaspora.

Says Wolff, It was so much fun designing these World Cup 2018 pieces for Nigeria with the Nike team!

Wolffs advice to current and future 91做厙 students:

Your major doesn't have to become your career. I majored in business management but pursued a career in graphic design. It's never too late to try something new.

Before joining Nike, Wolff had the privilege of launching the visual identities of the professional soccer teams New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), as well as those of numerous minor league and youth clubs. He has also done work for IMG Colleges, Hypebeast, and TV Land. 

As the lead art director at NYCFC, Wolff was responsible for designing everything from jerseys and on-field apparel to billboards in Penn Plaza and web and print collateral. He designed the club's badge and inaugural season logo, in addition to working regularly with Adidas and the club's sister company, Manchester City FC. 

For the last five years, Matthew has also run his own company, His clients range from professional sports franchises and non-profits to musicians, blogs, and apparel companies. 

If you want to see the kit in real time, Nigeria plays Croatia June 16, Iceland June 22 and Argentina June 26.

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