Designing VI’s first digital special in Cruijff's style

To honour and celebrate the life and legacy of Johan Cruijff, the Dutch magazine Voetbal International asked me to design a visual online story based on the 14 timeless wisdoms of the legendary number 14. On Monday, April 25, 2022, Cruijff, would have turned 75. To mark the occasion, Voetbal International launched an innovative digital special on VI PRO, marking their first experiment with online visual storytelling.

I led the visual direction for this special: translating Cruijff’s unique voice, football philosophy, and way of thinking into a graphic language. The result was a hand-drawn visual style inspired by chalkboard tactics, direct, intuitive, and full of personality.

*Because of publicity rights, I couldn’t use images of Cruijff on my website. Instead, I used rights-free vintage sports photos and turned them into abstract, atmospheric visuals that capture the era without showing Cruijff.