At the beginning of the year we looked back at 2022 and to the visual material we created, especially to what didn’t make it into the final outcome of our projects. We felt that these discarded signs, artworks and logos had a dignity on their own, and decided to recycle them as a kind of visual ecology experiment.
Since one of our main projects in the last year has been the rebranding of a football team (Modena FC 1912) we liked the idea to keep designing in that same area. We created three CRSL football jerseys using only visual elements developed during 2022 that were ultimately “rejected” by clients. Working on this eclectic visual remix gave new life to otherwise unused graphics, and allowed us to freely play and reflect on our everyday design practice.
Finally we asked our friend Naomi Accardi, a creative consultant & writer based between Milan and New York, to contribute with a short essay.
P08–2023. "REJECTED" FT. NAOMI ACCARDI
REJECTED
Words by Naomi Accardi
There comes a time in the life of a creative professional when they must face the plethora of projects that never saw the light of day buried in the depths of their hard drives. Sometimes too ahead of their time, at times too artistic, and in other instances they simply weren’t what the client expected, these digital rejects find themselves discarded and forgotten. Relegated to abstract space, they survive in the hearts and minds of their creator as a point of reference for future developments. Oftentimes, these graphic explorations are outstanding. They are the remarkable application of years of studying, practicing, and perfecting the art of design, yet they do not qualify for the final selection. The designer is left high and dry, wondering what to make of the unwanted masterpiece. They ruminate on the wasted effort and the missed opportunity for innovation. It is quite mortifying but a learning curve.
Looking back at the body of work produced throughout 2022, the creative minds behind CRSL dug into their archives and identified a golden chance in the forsaken projects they had to move on from. Why leave them behind? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure says a popular adage. Inspired by a major rebranding they undertook last year – Modena FC’s new visual identity – Enrico Caputo and Kim Costantino drew upon the concept of football jerseys to resurrect some of the discarded artworks and instilled new life into them. The result was a collection of colorful virtual kits featuring decorated by a mash-up of graphic explorations, which vary for each shirt.
These ethereal uniforms offer a point of reflection on the need to exercise creative freedom and the importance of breaking free from the orthodox canons of visual communication. Through their project Playground, CRSL does just that: experiment and play.
NA
Knowing some of your favorite work will not live outside of your design software is not an easy thing to accept, especially when the quality of the output is high. What goes through the mind of a designer when a project is rejected?
CRSL
Even if the reputation of a brand design studio is based on the quality of the work you find in its portfolio, the growth of the business is not always connected to it. Sadly. So for us, it is the saddest thing to see an idea that could boost both sides of our growth get rejected. On the other hand, we believe that the creative process is always a nurturing one. It’s about learning, unlearning what you think you know, and growing as individuals and as a team.
NA
How important is it for a creative studio to leave some time aside for experimentation and play?
CRSL
It’s vital. Finding the time to experiment with media we don’t use during an assignment always gives us new ideas that we also keep in store for future projects. We usually dedicate a maximum of non-continuous 72 hours to each Playground project. We set this rule to achieve the intensity we believe is needed to keep the original creative intuition as “pure” as possible.
NA
Football jerseys have become synonymous with community and a platform for sending a message that transcends the need for performance gear – they are a canvas for self-expression. Do you think they offer a good base for graphic experimentation?
CRSL
We have been thinking about how we could display our rejected designs in a creative way and putting them on a made-up football team kit seemed like a nice idea. As you said, football jerseys are progressively becoming more of a canvas for art and self expression, breaking through the worlds of fashion and street style. As a studio we have a very heterogeneous portfolio in terms of style and scope of work. So it was definitely interesting to see how our graphic production could be remixed onto a football jersey and still be somehow harmonious and visually exciting.
NA
This project draws upon a pretty major project you had the chance to work on, Modena FC’s new visual identity. Redesigning the logo of a football club is no easy feat. As a designer, you really need to think strategically and be able to please both the commissioner and the fans who may not be very open-minded. What are the challenges that come with taking on such an endeavor? And how did you tackle them?
CRSL
Yes, you can say creating these jerseys was a consequence of our recent assignment to rebrand a football team. We decided not to use any rejected material from that project to avoid tensions between the club and its fans. It was one of the main concerns during the Modena FC rebranding since the team has a very strong and committed fan base. Even if the client’s brief was quite specific, as they wanted to update the crest they had, we decided to bring to the table a different idea and create a logo based on the historic mascot of the club. We have to thank the client for being really open-minded about that and let the process take us on an unexpected path.