FT Live - Business of Football

Art Direction & Creative Process: “The Football”

My approach to campaign art direction is grounded in a simple formula informed by my advertising education:

Strategic Insight: Despite being an FT flagship event, the summit’s discussions would inevitably be covered by major news outlets worldwide.

Creative Response: How could we communicate the scale of the press coverage while reinforcing the event’s global significance?

Art Direction & Execution: A football sculpted from FT newsprint, combining the recognisable form of a football with the visual language of a globe to communicate both the reach of the press and the event’s global relevance.

The work received widespread praise from colleagues across the FT and guests at the event. By connecting a clear strategic insight with a simple, recognisable visual metaphor, the artwork captured the event’s ambition in a memorable, single image.