A World Cup history in posters

Every World Cup comes with an official poster, offering a history of both football and graphic design through the decades. Here, Ned Read, editor and founder of football mag Pickles, analyses the posters for CR

Russia 2018 World Cup poster

The mere mention of football’s most prestigious competition prompts memories of Mexican waves, vuvuzelas, Gazza’s tears in Turin or even World Cup Willie. But there’s another tradition, one that is maybe less well known, but has been part of the competitions history since the first World Cup back in 1930.

The inaugural FIFA World Cup took place in Uruguay, the vision of FIFA president Jules Rimet. Inspired by the modern Olympic Games and how the competition was organised and presented, the 1930 FIFA World Cup needed an identity. It needed a World Cup poster. And thus a graphic design tradition began.