とりあえずTuesday | 2019 Rugby World Cup Ticket Designs

Hello friends,
This coming September, Japan will host the Rugby World Cup at various venues all across the country. Rugby isn't very popular in America but is a sport that has seen rising interest throught this country since its formal introduction in the 1930s. In fact, the Japanese National Team are strong competitors, currently ranked number 11 throughout the world and are by far the best team in Asia. Which is all very cool, but in order to keep with the design theme of my blog, I wanted to specifically inform you of the brand new World Cup ticket designs introduced last week.

I should mention that I am not much of a Rugby fan either. I actually don't know anything about the sport, but these designs have definitely peeked my curiosity into learning more. The front of the tickets show depictions of players engaging in battle, reminicent of old Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints popularized throughout the 17th~19th centuries. I really like how the designs are stylized in a traditional manner, but simultaneously maintain a refreshing pop of color and refinement that push it them into the modern era. The gold backgrounds and delicate patterns are also nice details that do well in elevating the cheaply printed tickets to a classier level. I also appreciate that there is more than one design, which adds incentive to collect them in the long run.

I wouldn't mind just receving a used ticket to paste on my sketchbook to be honest. Which leads me to believe that the designs were crafted with foreign audiences in-mind. A lot of contemporary Japanese design tends to lean into the "ludicrously cute" territory. What do you guys think? Do you prefer this antique Japanese style or the cute stuff? My girlfriend said she would have prefered to see the Rugby mascots, Ren-G, gracing the face of the tickets, but understands the appeal of this traditional approach. Leave your thoughts in the comments below. As always, don't forget to like and share this post~

Until next time,
Peace