Drawing out the “potential of sports” through the power of “design”

This time, we interviewed two members of “Tsucreate,” Yo Tanaka (4th year studying Arts and Design) and Keita Shimamura (3rd year studying Arts and Design), who created the main visuals for “TSUKUBA LIVE!”

Left: Keita Shimamura 　Right: Yo Tanaka

Production process of the main visual

Tanaka　”Tsucreate” is a creative team for design and illustration, consisting of 1st~4th year students belonging to the University of Tsukuba’s College of Arts and Design. Regarding the production process of the main visual, the flow is to first decide on a catchphrase and then make it according to it. We have to be conscious of expressing a world view that matches the catchphrase, and we have to communicate properly within our team to achieve this. As we talked about in the previous “TSUKUBA LIVE!” project, we decide on the design while discussing with the other members whether if it is a basketball game, volleyball game, or a water polo game, and so on. Specifically, as soon as the catchphrase is decided among the members, we will decide what to do along with it and create reference materials. While discussing, we make several rough drafts and create candidates for the members to vote for, and then the members vote on them to decide on one main visual.

The main visual created by “Tsucreate” for this seasons home game

Agony until the main visual is decided

Shimamura　I believe that the main visual is a material that can be developed into a variety of things, such as venue decorations and posters. If you are simply making a poster, the information to be included will naturally be determined, but with a main visual, it’s a different story. When it comes to deciding on the main visual, it’s necessary to face the concept on a one-to-one basis. We had to think carefully about how to visually express the parts of the concept that couldn't be expressed in words, and how to convey it as communication. After that, the most difficult part was to determine what should be expressed in the main visual.

Tanaka　As for the previous “TSUKUBA LIVE!” event (held on August 7, 2022), it was very difficult to find a way to express the complex elements of having two types of games (basketball and water polo) as well as performers, while conveying the image of summer. If the entire event is not expressed in a well balanced manner, people may simply think that it is a basketball game, or a water polo game, or just another event. In addition, when multiple elements are crammed together, everything tends to become weak, so it was very difficult to balance the processing of “TSUKUBA LIVE!” to have a strong impact as a whole while organizing the information to convey it properly and expressing it in a cool way. I have the impression that this was a difficult balancing act.

Main visual for the - Summer Tuuune! - “TSUKUBA LIVE!” event held in August

What do you feel when the main visuals are decided

Tanaka My heart was already racing when we were voting on the main visual proposal.... It really hurts when I show what I have created so far to the public and have all the members look at it. I was worried about what everyone would think (laughs). In fact, I sometimes feel extremely disappointed when a decision is made without much consensus among the members. When the votes were collected among everyone or when a decision was made and people said, "It turned out great," I felt that sense of accomplishment as well as a sense of being released from the weight that had been hanging over me for so long.

Shimamura　 I also feel liberated. When you have been creating designs for a long time, it's quite difficult to look at what you are creating objectively, so it's necessary to repeatedly have other people look at your work and give their reactions. It can be mentally damaging, but if you don't do this, you will not be able to see your work from a new perspective. Finally, since the final decision is made by having the other members look at it and vote, it's often more trustworthy than making the decision yourself. I submit the design I created for the main visual, and let other people share their opinions and comments on it.

The relationship between visual design and sports from the two students perspective

Tanaka　As someone who works in arts and design, I often get the impression that "sports" is not very sophisticated in terms of overall atmosphere, unity, and design. While individual athletes are of course cool, I believe that it’s important to deliver good content without being too "sporty" in terms of the sport itself. Like last time, I think that the incorporation of a young and new design into "TSUKUBA LIVE!" could bring out the potential of the sport even more. I have also heard that the rules of sports are changing so that spectators don’t get bored. We seem to be watching the players fighting one way, and when we look at the origins of the rules, etc., it seems as if the spectators are taking the form of the rules of the sport. Perhaps there is a similarity in design to this trend. Creating designs in this way can be exciting.

Shimamura　In terms of the relationship between sports and design, sports have not changed much over the years, and athletes still have an image of being stoic. The power of sports content is constant, but in the form of design, it can be conveyed either in a sloppy or cool way. I think the interesting thing about design is that it can be manipulated in terms of how it is conveyed.　"TSUKUBA LIVE!" is based on the concept of spreading sports to people who are not interested in sports, so I felt that the design should also be geared toward people who are not so interested in sports. Some of the people around me who were studying design also said they would go to a sports game after seeing the design. I think it’s very interesting that sports, which have a certain power, can be chosen as a place to deliver this power through the power of design.

About “TSUKUBA LIVE!”

Shimamura I hope that “TSUKUBA LIVE!” will gain fans and become an event that people say, "I want to go to that music festival every year!” I think there is no better opportunity than this as a gateway to sports.

Tanaka I hope we can keep expanding our visitors at the home game. I believe that sports have a strong internal element. People like myself are intimidated by such things... (laughs). I think some people will want to go to the games after seeing the main visuals we created. In the framework of art, I think it would be great if we could add music to the performance, or add more and more different fields, so that the content can be enjoyed by everyone. Also, many people think that design is a luxury item, but if you give us a theme to outline, we can design it within a budget. Designers are like problem-solvers, and I hope to see more requests like that.