adidas / Faster Than_

Creating the visual identity for adidas’ largest running campaign of 2020

adidas’ Faster Than_ campaign focuses not on athletes but on everyday heroes. In order to communicate the idea of the democratization of running, we created a diverse visual language including custom typography, colors and textures that referenced different ways in which individuals related to running in their own lives.

The biggest challenge was the need to come up with a visual system that linked the various types sneakers, personalities and media channels together under the name of Faster Than_ , while still allowing room for each to have their own distinct look and feel.

Our extensive explorations, which were influenced by the materials of the sneakers themselves, the ethos of the runners we worked with, and the themes of lightness and speed, resulted in a broad yet consistent graphic language that can be easily adapted across the Faster Than_ category.

The design process also included the selection and post-production of the photography used throughout the campaign. One of the coolest aspects of the project was working with dynamic images shot in Shanghai, Athens, Los Angeles and Lisbon.

All of this work results in an extensive design toolkit which outlines how the design, films, photography and graphics that we create are to be used in various print and digital formats. It’s amazing to see how our work is then translated into retail installations in adidas stores, graphics for the Berlin marathon, social media posts by adidas runners and athletes, as well as print and digital advertisements in key cities around the world.

I worked with a fantastic team at TBWA on this project. Much thanks to Andre, Thomas and Michael for the creative direction, Lot for her wonderful typography, and Maria and Mike P. for their excellent attention to detail and dedication.