Celebrating the best of African Football.
Some brands have incredible power. Power to influence. Power to inspire and excite. Power to move people deeply. When the Confederation of African Football came to us with a new project, we knew that we were dealing with the mother of all powerhouses: The African Cup of Nations.
As the biggest football competition in Africa, AFCON holds a unique and deeply impactful place in the continent’s culture. It was our privilege to create a brand that unifies and celebrates the very best of African football, bringing together the fans for whom AFCON represents the ultimate pride and glory.
A cultural shift.
Despite millions of fans, their visual identity lacked recognition and equity. Our task was to raise the competition to its rightful place in the global conversation by shifting the focus of the brand onto the culture of the competition and capturing the inspiration of the continent.
It was crucial we take the logo from the boardroom to the stadium. In a record first for CAF, we delivered a stand-alone identity system to help differentiate between competitions, allow for stronger partnerships, and spark engagement from the fans year-on-year.
An iconic symbol befitting African football’s greatest competition – the coveted trophy: an emblem of glory for players and fans alike.
Developed from hundreds of sketches in three key elements, the new identity takes its cues from the elephant’s tusk and the structure of the competition itself. The result is a symbol that feels modern without losing soul, that flexes in feel without compromising on meaning.
Together we move.
Our brand platform reflects the AFCON experience by adhering to our core message: Together We Move.
A sentiment that reflects both the cultural movement of football fandom and the progress of African football, our positioning aligns fans with nations like never before. A message that speaks to the diverse, vibrant and energetic football communities across the continent, Together We Move is a herald for the new era of African football.
Expression of energy.
Movement is at the heart of the brand – from the swift skill of the players, to the swell of a cheering crowd and the rhythm of their celebration. To instil this energy in our creative platform, we isolated four graphic expressions unique to AFCON football: the Drums, the Song, the Cheers, the Dance.
These pillars, all inspired by the underlying power of the passion for football and layered with traditional Côte d’Ivoire Kente patterns, formed the backbone of the graphic language. Secondary repeat patterns allow greater flexibility and visual depth in application.
Finding our voice.
When AFCON speaks, it speaks to an audience that is at once diverse and unified; it’s a powerful and unique voice. For that, we found the perfect typeface – and then elevated it.
We chose a san serif typeface that represents the bold simplicity of the Zaouli dancing masks, and captures the bounce and dynamism synonymous with African football. To top it off, we customised the A – a slight nuance that brings strong presence to the wordmark and allows us greater scope for typographic applications and animations.
