Чемпионаты мира по футболу
Учебное издательство Школы Дизайна
Our protagonist is a boy around ten to twelve years old. He has played soccer since childhood, but not because he is a genius or holds great promise. He simply loves the game.
What matters to him isn’t the result itself—not the medals—but how the ball feels underfoot and how the speed is felt.
However, the love of play gradually begins to fade as the surrounding world demands something entirely different from him.
His story isn’t just about talent waiting for its moment. It is the story of a boy facing a choice: keep going or give up.
Adults tell him that soccer is a waste of time—millions play, but only a few achieve success. But what if they are right?
Then he sustains an injury and misses an important game. While others train, he sits at home, burdened by the feeling of falling behind, and begins to doubt himself even more: «What if this really isn’t for me?»
After his injury, he returned to training, but his play declined; he started making mistakes, losing the ball. The coach grew stern, his teammates stopped passing to him, and a feeling of shame and alienation towards football began to grow inside him.
For his birthday, he is given a book about World Cup championships. He opens it without much interest, but then he sees: Pele was targeted, Maradona was kicked in the legs, Zidane received countless red cards, Beckham became an outcast, and Ronaldo sustained injuries from which doctors said, «it’s over.»
This book isn’t just about success stories—it’s a narrative about how the greatest players stumbled, yet found the strength to rise again and keep fighting.
This is where the turning point occurs. He reads and understands that the champion’s path is not a straight line, but a series of mistakes, falls, injuries, and unforeseen circumstances.
Now he is not afraid of mistakes; when he makes them, he doesn’t give up but analyzes them, revisits them, and tries again and again.
He no longer looks at himself through the eyes of others, nor does he perform to prove anything to them—instead, he does it to savor the entire process—both the defeats and the victories.
This is not just a story about football. In reality, it’s a story about everyone who wanted to give up the thing they loved because they lost faith in themselves. The path to any achievement is a series of mistakes, falls, injuries, failures, and doubts. Those who view them as part of their journey and refuse to give up achieve greatness.
About the Publication
The gift edition «Football: World Cups» covers tournaments from 1930 to 2014. The book was published ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which Russia was hosting.
Originally, the book is an encyclopedia of world championships: facts, dates, scores, and tables. While such a book can be useful, it wouldn’t be read cover-to-cover; it would be glanced at, flipped through, and placed on a shelf. It evokes no strong emotions. The goal of the redesign is to transform it from a reference guide into a book that the reader experiences rather than just browses.
Spreads
Target Audience
Initially, the target audience was limited to football fans interested in history, statistics, and interesting facts. Through redesign, this audience can be expanded to encompass: 1. Kids and teens who play sports 2. Parents of young athletes 3. Adults who have dropped their favorite hobby 4. Football enthusiasts and collectors
Structure
Transitioning from newspaper layouts and a visual presentation limited to football player photos to a dynamic and emphasized layout supplemented with graphic elements, infographics, and so on.
Goals
1. Give the reader not just information, but an experience
2. Alleviate the shame associated with mistakes and setbacks
3. Reignite the inspiration to pursue a beloved craft
4. Merge soccer with a broader meaning
