Benchwarmers:
The US’ Inequality in Youth Soccer Access
This project, required us to develop a multi-media editorial, that explored a subject of our own choosing.
Project ········ Editorial
Medium ········· Print/Screen Based
Published ······ January - May 2022
Language ······· English
The message of sports for decades has been that, sports is one of the activities where everyone can unite and be equal, irrespective of their race, gender, or social status with the goal to compete and have fun. This statement depicts a blurred truth most evidently seen in the fabric of US youth soccer. While we can acknowledge that as a sport, US soccer has had remarkable growth, we must also reflect on the notion that US youth soccer for decades has been anything but equal to its participants. US youth soccer has only been accessible to groups under certain conditions or for those who possess certain privileges which will be explored in this editorial. With these conversations the hope is to create change towards accessibility in the sport.
Editorial Rationale:
After the project was introduced, it felt right to take it as an opportunity to address and bring into the light a specific issue that was close to me as an athlete and soccer player. With this concept, the language and visuals associated with the sport came to mind when creating the editorial. The color palette was a straight. As the topic is based on the U.S, red, white, and blue was used but making them slightly off from the traditional colors. The white was primarily used as the background color and the black was used on some background but mostly kept to the typography. Primarily the layout worked around a four column, six row grid. The grid was experimented with using the imagery to break the bounds and have it speak with the language of the game’s movement and the field (in and out of bound). In terms of typography, the H1 typefaces used both spoke to aspects of the game. One was reminicent of numbers on soccer jerseys while the other had the effect of a soccer net that worked perfectly with the topic. The body typeface then balanced the heavier and more rigid feel of the H1 typefaces having more curviness in its characters.
Editorial Application:
The written content for the publication was developed through individual research of different sources. The visual elements required for the publication included: an organizational grid and typographic system, an established visual language, and infographic or data visualization component(s) that together created a compelling visual narrative about our chosen topic.