Designing Unity: Behind the Scenes of Romania’s Euro 2024 Visual Identity
In May 2024, I collaborated with the Romanian Football Federation, as a freelance designer on a project, for the hotel where the Romania National Team players and staff stayed during the Euros in Würzburg, Germany.
I designed various elements based on their requirements, including flags, lounge pictures, gym room, player room decor, locker designs, and other printed materials. Goal was to create a welcoming environment that made the players and staff feel at “home”.
One of my favorite aspects of the project was a 12-meter-wide banner hanging from the facade of the hotel. It became a popular spot where many players took photos and shared happy moments.
Intro
My collaboration with the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) kicked off earlier this year, 2024, in January, when they selected me to design the upcoming Romania National Team football shirt. Naturally, we exchanged emails and messages during that period, ironing out details and sharing ideas. However, as the shirt project neared completion, their attention gradually shifted toward the Euros and Germany. By April, our communication had slowed down.
Then, due to unforeseen circumstances with the designer they usually collaborate with on design projects, the FRF approached me again. They asked if I could take over another project, believing I might work faster under pressure due to the short notice. I agreed to give it a shot and joined the bidding process. This time, the project was to create designs for the national team’s environment at the hotel where they would stay during the tournament in Germany.
Typically, the FRF doesn’t directly select designers/agencies for projects — they rely on a bidding system and choose the proposal with the best offer. As far as I know, this time they made an exception and came straight to me without opening a bid.
Initially, I was hesitant to take on the project because of the lack of a clear brief or direction in the beginning. Unfortunately, my concerns turned out to be valid as uncertainties appeared midway through the project. Still, I decided to move forward, driven by the momentum and excitement I had built while designing the shirt earlier in the year.
Brief
Once I was told my participation in the project was confirmed, I jumped right in creating some mockups. At that point, I didn’t have an official brief — just a general idea of what they wanted based on an email exchange. They asked me to start brainstorming ideas while they worked on preparing a proper brief and technical requirements, like dimensions and other specifics.
Romania’s national team was set to stay at the Melchior Hotel in Würzburg during Euro 2024. By mid-April, people from the Romanian Football Federation had already started visiting the hotel to ensure everything was in order for the team’s arrival later in June.
For me, this meant that someone on-site would take photos of the areas where they wanted designs, measure the dimensions, and compile everything into a PowerPoint presentation. Each slide would include notes about what they wanted for those spaces, making it easier for me to understand their vision and get started on the detailed work.
Here are the first mockups I designed without having that brief, and just me generating visual ideas based on the research I have done at that point:
After one week of generating visual ideas I got the official brief on 19th or April with a deadline within the first week of May, later the deadline extended to 20th of May. During this one month I was guided through the hotel with a video call as well and pointed out their expectations in terms of what they would type of material wanted to do and where.
The brief was ready in a form of Power Point presentation with the locations in the hotel/training grounds they would like to brand it with my designs and the only direction I was give was to try mimic the Romania training camp from Bucharest/Mogoșoaia. I was also given acces to a high-res photo library with the players and staff to use which included photos from the qualifiers games prior to the tournament. That is the only thing I had to start working with.
My Concerns
With 10 years of experience in design, I’ve worked across various mediums and formats, gaining insights into what makes a project run smoothly — or not. So, when I received the brief, and even when I accepted the project, a few concerns immediately came to mind:
- No Text
My first concern was the absence of any copy or text in the brief. I was told it would be provided later, but this project relied heavily on motivational, text-based support messages to make the players feel at home. Without the text, it was challenging to create a cohesive design direction and a storyline. As I feared, this issue persisted throughout the project and became even more problematic as we approached the final stages. My first design simulations started with “Lorem Ipsum” text but later on I added some messages on my own that I came up with as they would not send me the final texts to use until 8th of May, when there was only one week left for the deadline for sending to print. I learned that it helped them decide what design fits their needs by me adding my own motivational quotes that I also researched. All of my texts/quotes were changed one week before the deadline and only one remained, the one used on the visual from the recreation room and translated as: “20 million hearts beating for Romania” — allegedly the Romanian population after the latest population survey.
- No Clear Design Direction
My second concern was the lack of a defined visual style. I collaborated with their team, but opinions were split, leading to daily discussions where everyone wanted to contribute their own ideas or make design decisions by committee. While I tried to follow FRF’s official brand guidelines, they eventually decided they wanted something different. The problem? No one could clearly articulate what this “different” direction should look like, leaving me navigating a lot of uncertainty. Different previous design projects came into discussion but none had a defined visual style or they totally opposite to their established brand guideline. This is what I was gave as inspiration, from the Romanian Football Federation, to follow in my designs after they disliked my first mockups presented above:
Entrance banner
One of the standout elements of the project was a massive banner, measuring 11 in width by 8 meters in height, hanging prominently on the facade of the hotel at the entrance. This would be one of the first things the players saw as they disembarked from the bus and entered the hotel. According to their requirements, this banner was to serve as the key visual of the entire project — a centrepiece that embodied the team’s identity and spirit.
Its purpose was symbolic as much as practical: it represented the “entry point” to Romanian territory, a slice of home brought to Würzburg for the duration of the tournament. This banner needed to set the tone for the players’ experience, making them feel welcomed, motivated, and connected to their roots as soon as they arrived.
I had to sift through a massive library of 500 photos provided by FRF, manually cropping each player in Photoshop. Some shots were great, capturing the perfect moments, while others were less inspiring. To make things more challenging, we faced constant uncertainty about which players would make the final squad, adding an extra layer of complexity to the process.
Restaurant and Recreation room
For these areas, there were two large walls to design. In the recreation room, they expressed a desire for something “lighter.” It was left to me to decipher what exactly that meant. Without much clarification, I had to interpret their vision and find a balance between creating a visually appealing design and staying within the undefined parameters of “lightness.” When I asked what exactly light means they said the players would go there to relax and spend time together so if possible no colors.
For the restaurant, I was given direct guidance after my initial designs failed to meet their expectations. With their specific feedback and my design expertise, we collaborated to create a design that satisfied them. While it wasn’t entirely my original vision, the final result struck a balance between their requirements and my creative input, ultimately achieving a design everyone, in corporate, was pleased with.
Lounge & lobby
For the restaurant, they specifically requested the use of group photos from the qualifiers. My task was to find a visual treatment for these images that would match the ambiance of the hotel lounge. After analyzing photos of the hotel, noting its lighting and furniture, I decided to go with a golden vibe and high contrasts to complement the space.
I also experimented with incorporating the Romanian team’s shield logo and adding a subtle blur effect to the edges. However, this approach was rejected, as they felt it didn’t look professional enough. In the end, I had to refine the visuals further, keeping them clean and polished while maintaining the golden tones to align with the lounge’s sophisticated atmosphere.
Locker room
They initially wanted to brand both the outside and the inside of the locker rooms. I presented some ideas for the interior, but they quickly abandoned that direction and decided to focus exclusively on the exterior.
Their idea was to create designs featuring motivational text for players as they exited the locker room and headed to the training pitches. However, there was no provided content to work with — only the dimensions and a reference image from the Manchester City documentary on Amazon.
With this limited guidance, I took the initiative to craft the designs myself. I selected impactful text, arranged the elements, and adjusted the layout to create a cohesive and inspiring visual. Despite the lack of initial direction, I aimed to ensure the designs delivered the intended motivational effect.
Also my first two designs were rejected so I just went simple with text and background.
Flags
This part of the project was very straightforward. I received the flag dimensions and a photo showing where they wanted it displayed. Following the guidelines from their brand manual, I created the design to align perfectly with their requirements. I offered them options to chose from.
Pool, indoor training room and gym
For the indoor training room, I had to create a design spanning an impressive 25 meters in width and 3 meters in height — undoubtedly one of the most challenging aspects of the entire project. The process turned into a marathon of revisions, with the design going through five iterations. The difficulty stemmed from a lack of clarity about what they wanted.
My first and second proposals were outright rejected. Admitting defeat, I told them I’d set aside my creative instincts and follow their direction exactly. I focused on listening carefully to their feedback to ensure I delivered something they were happy with. Ironically, even their own suggested design didn’t hit the mark. This led to two additional revisions before we finally landed on the final version.
The pools and gym areas were relatively straightforward. Initially, I proposed some quotes to incorporate into the designs, but at the last minute, they changed direction. For the gym specifically, they decided not to focus on creating detailed designs. Instead, they wanted to use simple inspirational quotes.
Even though the focus shifted away from design, I was still asked to create visual simulations of how the text would appear on the walls. This approach allowed them to visualize the final look while keeping the overall aesthetic clean and motivational.
Final Stages and Changes
As we approached the final stages, there were some last-minute changes to the project’s direction. The overall approach we settled on included the following guidelines:
- Use of Blue: Blue, their corporate color, was to dominate the designs, while yellow and red were avoided entirely.
- Minimalist Aesthetic: Clean, simple designs featuring only pictures and text — no additional colors or design elements.
- Multiple Options: For each design, they requested at least three variations to choose from.
You can see the final results at the end of this story or in the video at the beginning. Below are the chosen designs that align with these guidelines.
After the designs were created and approved by the corporate team at the Federation, they had to go through a final review by the head coach of the national team. Fortunately, the coaching staff and the head coach were very pleased with the outcome, and only minimal changes were requested. These included small adjustments, like removing one or two players from the visuals because they wouldn’t be called up for the final squad.
Once the final approval was secured, the design files were sent off for printing. To streamline the process, I created a Google Drive folder containing all the source files and shared it with the stakeholders. My final designs were primarily created in Illustrator, while others were made in Photoshop at 300 dpi, scaled to 10:1, with smart objects and CMYK color profiles to ensure print quality.
By the time everything was uploaded, the Google Drive folder had grown to an impressive 90 GB in size — a testament to the scope and detail of the project. At the begining of the process I also used Figma to gather collective feedback as it is in the cloud and they could see real time progress rather than exchanging long email chains.
Challenges
Working on this project helped me learn new things:
- No individual photos.
Some of the photos provided through their library stood out more than others. Certain players naturally conveyed stronger emotions during a match, or the photographer had captured just the right moment. These images had a raw energy that I appreciated and used to communicate effectively in the designs. When color or design couldn’t fully carry the emotional weight, the expressions of the players often did. However, I quickly learned a valuable lesson: players don’t take kindly to being excluded. Visuals that prominently featured one or two individuals often led to complaints from other players who felt overlooked. What initially seemed like an opportunity to highlight strong individual moments turned into a significant challenge.As a result, I was instructed to prioritize group photos to emphasize team spirit and unity. While it was evident that some players stood out more than others, the message we needed to convey was about the collective effort, not individual brilliance. Below are designs that were rejected for this reason:
- Team selection not available
The project’s deadline for sending to print, on May 20, was set before the coach announced the final squad for the tournament, on June 7. The direction I received from their corporate team emphasized showcasing happiness and team spirit in the visuals I would create. However, selecting the right photos became a significant challenge. We couldn’t be sure if a player that featured in a particular image would ultimately make the final cut or even be fit to play. Throughout the project, photos were swapped in and out as the team navigated these uncertainties, relying on the hope that certain players would be chosen. This constant reshuffling added an extra layer of complexity to an already tight schedule, making it difficult to achieve a consistent visual narrative. A Romanian online newspaper pointing out in one of their published articles that some players were not part of the entrance banner at the hotel:
- No colors.
As a designer, I strive to evoke emotions through the use of colors. I’ve studied and strongly believe in the principles of color psychology, which guide my creative process. For projects like this — focused on storytelling rather than user interfaces — my approach involves carefully selecting and balancing colors to trigger specific emotions, by using color-blocking. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case here. While I initially aimed to incorporate Romanian colors and elements into some of the pieces, this approach didn’t resonate well with their corporate team. They felt it was too bold and pushed me to make the designs look more corporate, using fewer colors. This shift in direction limited my ability to create the emotional impact I wanted. Still, I tried to explore some “crazy” combinations that I thought could work, adding vibrancy and energy to the project. Here are a few of the ideas I attempted to push forward but they did not make it:
Final Outcome
The Romania National Football Team stayed at the Melchior Hotel, surrounded by these designs and messages, for three weeks during the tournament. The final chapter of this story came to an end with a hard-fought defeat against the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
I can only hope that the players felt inspired by the messages and visuals surrounding them as they prepared for their games. There were positive results and noticeable development during those three weeks — a testament to their hard work and determination. It was an honor to contribute, even in a small way, to their journey at Euro 2024.
Romania hotel was selected by FIFA as a good example of how a training camp should look like. — link to story
I post stories about Romania match worn shirts on Instagram. If you want to get in touch with me you can find me there as onromanianfootball:
https://www.instagram.com/onromanianfootball/
