Should the Italian national team update its visual identity?

It was the summer of 2021 when the Italian national football team won the European Championship at Wembley against all odds. An unexpectedly sweet triumph that was obviously celebrated by the Federation’s official profiles with a flood of content, photos, and graphics highlighting the achievement of our players. Following that victory, the visual identity of the Italian Football Federation had the opportunity to change in 2023, thanks to the introduction of a new emblem. Today, after a disappointing European Championship, as Luciano Spalletti's National Team prepares to face Israel in the Nations League following the convincing victory against France at the Parc des Princes, the starting lineups, substitutions, and results are communicated using the same formats and graphics, demonstrating that the visual identity on social media has not made any progress. These are aesthetic details that capture the attention of only a small niche of people, but two football seasons without any stylistic renewal are starting to seem, perhaps, excessive. More than a few graphic designers have begun to notice, suggesting, purely for fun, new visual identities for the social networks.

Among the proposed ideas are even new emblems with inverted team colors and new graphics for substitutions, goals, and announcing the starting lineup. Typing the handle "Azzurri" into Instagram’s search bar brings up the national team's official profile. Compared to those of major competitors, it is noticeable how posts with graphics are quite few. Analyzing the content posted on Instagram, such as the 3-1 Nations League win against France, reveals that the Italian national team does not use any type of graphic for goals, a rather ambiguous choice. It is a missed opportunity to make everything more engaging, especially at important moments like the victory against Deschamps' team. Graphics for the official lineup and for the partial and final results of the match are always present, but beyond these, there are only image carousels or reels that depict moments from the game, training sessions, and the team’s arrival at the stadium. If the Azzurri’s performances have been a topic of discussion, their visual identity should be equally scrutinized, as it is increasingly outdated.