CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 8/11/2022

Score! 'Football: Designing the Beautiful Game' is new from London’s Design Museum

Featured spreads are from Football: Designing the Beautiful Game, the first major take on the simple yet often radical design history of the world’s most popular game—taking into consideration the architects, engineers, inventors, designers—and even the fans—who have helped shape the game. Published to accompany the exhibition currently on view at the Design Museum in London, this luxurious, 304-page hardcover is a legitimately gorgeous design object in and of itself. "Anyone can play football at little cost, which allows talent and creativity to flourish in incredibly diverse settings," James Bird and Eleanor Watson write. "As with all professional sports, however, football is forever searching for a competitive edge. From lightweight boots that offer greater freedom of movement, and more aerodynamic balls, to shock-absorbent pitches and restorative exercise routines, the football industry is continually devising new tools to enable teams to play longer, faster and more consistently. The development of these tools presents a concise history of football's professionalization, illustrating the ever-increasing resources that are dedicated to producing elite athletes."