THE CHALLENGE

With a continued partnership across the BODYARMOR and POWERADE teams, we were briefed on a critical business challenge:
How could POWERADE authentically own football (soccer) in the U.S. ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, while simultaneously reclaiming cultural relevance and market share globally?

The complexity wasn’t scale, it was contrast. Each market engages with football differently. What unites them isn’t geography or language, but FANDOM: the emotional, irrational, lifelong love of the game and the ball itself. That insight became the foundation for the entire system.

The Idea — Built From the Ball

Rather than layering football aesthetics onto the brand, we went deeper—starting with POWERADE’s own DNA. The iconic POWERADE bottle features a honeycomb structure, mirroring the classic pentagon-hexagon geometry of a football. That shared geometry became the unlock. By abstracting the ball down to its most essential lines and connections, we created a new visual language, one that felt inevitable, not imposed. The result was a simplified, modern ball construct that could flex across markets, cultures, and expressions while staying unmistakably POWERADE.

THE SYSTEM

This core geometry became the engine of a fully integrated design system:

• A new visual grid derived from the ball’s line work, used across layouts, motion, and environments

• A custom typeface built from the same structural logic, designed to work in harmony with POWERADE’s foundational colors and dynamic principles

• Graphic connections and pathways that mirror how the ball moves through space, passes, momentum, flow, and impact

The system was designed to be dynamic by default, allowing global markets to adapt without compromising brand integrity.

Photography & Expression

To humanize the system and bring fandom to life, we art-directed a global-ready photoshoot focused on players in aerial, suspended moments, capturing movement, intensity, and relatability in equal measure.

These images were intentionally crafted to work everywhere:

• In-store and on-shelf

• Broadcast and OOH

• Social, digital, and experiential

The goal wasn’t hero worship; it was proximity. Athletes as humans in motion. Fans see themselves in the game's energy.

GLOBAL IMPACT

The system was rolled out holistically across:

• United States

• Latin America

• Europe

• Canada

Each market expressed the work through its own cultural lens, yet the core idea, geometry, and emotional resonance remained consistent. One system. Many voices. One shared love of the game.



CREDITS

Industry: CPG, Beverage, Sports Drinks
Client: POWERADE | Coca-Cola
Agency: Jones Knowles Ritchie
Photographer: Garret Byrume
Typographer: Simon Becker
My Role: Creative Director
Design: Katie Rominger, Taylor Ottaviano, Orion Janeczek
Motion Design: Stubbs Johnston
Strategy: Max Arevuo, Taylor Woods
Markets: North America, Latin America, Europe, and Canada
Scope: Global Design System, Brand Campaign, Custom Typography, Photography Direction & Production