Illustrator Joe Gamble creates charming book for football-crazed kids

Date
13 October 2016

In Kick Off! Joe Gamble has combined two great loves, football and illustration, creating a book appealing to both audiences. By tapping into a subject he is fond of, the illustrator has found an ideal way to represent his humble and approachable style.

As an illustrator Joe works broadly, often jumping between styles and mediums, the one consistent element being that he works with pace. “I tend to work quickly, not over thinking and perfecting, preferring to create something which is a truer capture of that time,” he explains. This stylistic decision by Joe appropriately reflects the sport his illustrations represent: “I believe it has provided the book with an energy which suits the game of football itself.”

Kick Off! began when Joe showed his portfolio to publishers Cicada at a time when he was producing work for Leeds United fanzine, The Square Ball. The crossover between football and design happens often through publications and photography essays, but Joe and Cicada saw an opportunity for an “activity book for football fans”. Their football-based illustration book enables customisation and imagination for football crazed kids in a charming way. Joe took the commission as a chance to make “the book I always wanted when I was a kid, drawing up new kits and badges and writing down Top Ten lists of friends I would play football with in my primary school planner.”

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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Joe Gamble: Kick Off!

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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