German fans puzzled by lettering on new national kit

German football fans have welcomed the country’s new national kits, especially the home kit, which revamps the old striking red, yellow and black zigzag design that was worn by the likes of Jürgen Klinsmann at Italia ’90. While fans have also welcomed the green away kit, some have questioned the font choice for the custom lettering on each player’s shirt.

The font appears to be reminiscent of those used in some 1980s video games. While it does add to the retro theme of the kits, many fans complained that they can’t read the players’ names.

When Julian Draxler modelled the new shirt, one Twitter user pointed out that it appears to be using letters from the Russian alphabet and listed numerous ways that people could possibly read the player’s name (e.g. OAAHLER, DARKLER, OARXLEA, and so on).

If you look closely at the font, the ‘A’ and the ‘R’ are indeed difficult to distinguish at first sight. The ‘K’ could also be easily mistaken for an ‘X’.

While a novel choice of font can make your branding stand out, clarity is also very important. At Lettering Direct, we provide easy lettering designing. This means you can experiment with a wide range of fonts and other effects until you get the precise impression you’re aiming for in your vinyl lettering. If you do want to take a lesson from Germany’s new kit, however, maybe get a second (or even a third) opinion from a friend before you complete the order.