Starting off with the recent emblems of the past, it looks as though Korea and Japan's emblem may have created an icon for the future. Look closely at Germany's logo and you'll see the World Cup-like icon showing up at the bottom of the logo. Then again, both logos were created by the same agency, Whitestone based out of London along with help from a local agency in Germany. Apparently FIFA was so enamored with Whitestone's previous logo, they decided to commission the same agency and deemed that the 'cup' icon should reappear in all future logos of FIFA World Cups.

Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but while this logo is successful in channeling the 'light hearted' nature of the games, it looks inferior when compared to the previous logo. Perhaps there were too many items dictated in the criteria, suppressing what could otherwise have been a fantastic logo. Not all is bad however, the colors of Germany on the left of the logo, looks like an afterthought, but for some reason I really like it. It's a small soft gesture, almost a slight reminder that the World Cup, while a global game is being hosted by Germany. What I don't get is the hair on the top face, and what looks to be a number 6 for the right face. Again, it looks like they were trying to incorporate too many ideas dictated by FIFA. It would have been nice if they made available all their design sketches so the public could follow their process. Then again, that's like asking for criticism since individuals will most likely find a sketch they like and run with it, asking why they didn't go down that path.

In the end, I think it's successful in meeting the goal of FIFA, but as a stand alone logo, nothing is really eye catching. I doubt this will be remembered. Looking back again, I think Italy's design for the 1990 World Cup stands out the most. It's simple and reminds me immediately of its motorsports heritage. I guess it does fail in terms of incorporating the 'world' aspect of the World Cup though. Thoughts on this logo?

Stepping way back, we'll take a close look at the soccer ball itself tomorrow.