UEFA Champions League launches 2019 Madrid final identity
Thursday, August 30, 2018
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The 2019 UEFA Champions League final identity for Madrid will be officially unveiled today in Monaco at this season's group stage draw. The final design features local elements from the host city in combination with iconic aspects of the competition.
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The 2019 identity is the first in a series of final designs crafted by an artist from the host city who has been assigned to create an artwork reflecting the artist's impression of the final city. While the design will change every year, the trophy remains at the centre of the visual, ensuring a consistency between finals and recognisability over time.
The illustrator for this year's final is Ruben Sanchez, born and raised in Madrid. His design captures an energetic evening scene, with traditional objects and motifs depicting the Spanish capital.
The main elements used in the visual are a cat (Madrilenians affectionately call each other 'cats'), a chulapo (Madrilenian in traditional costume), a guitar, the bear and strawberry tree (from Madrid's coat of arms), various city buildings as well as the river Manzanares (which flows from the mountains through the capital).
The blue colour palette deriving from UEFA Champions League matchnights has been enriched with a final accent colour inspired by Madrid's unique, intense sunset skies called 'candilazo'. The handwritten word mark articulates the expressive nature of the final host city.
The new brand identity has been developed in collaboration with UEFA's marketing partner TEAM Marketing AG, illustrator Ruben Sanchez and branding agency DesignStudio.