The designer behind Nike's most iconic football kits An interview with Drake Ramberg
In his Instagram bio, Drake Ramberg describes himself as an artist, designer and illustrator. These titles perfectly encapsulate the work of the man who revolutionised Nike's football aesthetic by designing some of its most iconic kits. We had the opportunity to meet him at his Portland studio, where graphics, culture and experimentation come together naturally. It was here that the new Venezia fourth jersey for the 2025/26 season was born — a project bearing the signature of one of the most influential designers on the contemporary scene.
What’s the best kit you’ve ever designed?
"My top two favorite kits that I designed are probably the 94/95 Borussia Dortmund Eagle Wings kit, which they won a Bundesliga title, their first one. And then I always loved the Arsenal 1995 Away kit with the lightning bolt, the Half-Half shirt. You know, it was a great, fun way to take the lightning bolt motif and really blow it out in an expressive, bold way. And I think that it just turned out great. And a lot of people referenced that one. I think just, that's a beautiful blue shirt for an away kit".
And what’s the weirdest kit you’ve ever designed?
"The famous David Seaman goalkeeper shirt that I worked on for Arsenal circa in 1994. Probably the wildest goalkeeper shirt that I ever did. Basically one of the first ones I ever did, but the concept was to just do this huge star. We had a lot of stars in our graphics at that time for the Nike Premier collection. And so I thought, well, why not make the star almost like a bullseye, like a target. So if somebody's gonna come and shoot at you, they aim for the star, right? And so try to trick guy that's shooting. I did this crazy kind of pattern. We did it in lots of different colors and what's crazy about this also, back then, you know, they had the long sleeves, the mock neck, had quilted elbows for padding, has a drop tail, just a heavy fabric. I mean, just a crazy shirt and you know, it's, it's amazing to see that it's inspiration now for the, the Hollywood Goalkeeper shirts that Nike just rolled out".
What does a football kit mean to you, and what does it represent?
"The Home kit is always known as like the the main identity of the club. It has to represent the club or the federation. There's a lot riding on that and getting it right and making sure that you've accurately and authentically captured the elements that all the fans, all the players will recognize right away. So it's a huge responsibility. But at the same time, it's a lot of fun to design. And each one's unique and different. We're not going to try to do the same formula or same approach for all of them. Some have really clean home kit. And others, like with some of the Borussia Dortmund and PSG ones that I worked on back in the 90's, they were a lot more bold and expressive. But, you know, you just want to be true to that, that club and do that do them right with your designs".
Is it harder to design a kit for a club or for a national team?
"I've always said it's a lot harder to design a kit for a national team. With a club, you're just focused on that one individual city or even a part of the city. So the assignment or the brief is relatively simple because you can just pull all of your inspiration from that club and those neighborhoods and what those fans know about that club. Whereas if you're doing a jersey for the entire country of Italy for example, there's a lot of difference between Sicily, Milan, Venice and Florence and so how do you come up with a jersey that is going to be authentic and speak to all Italians in a beautiful way without getting too specific. And so in cases like that, you know, you're trying to just look at elements that really signify that country. And a lot of it starts with the crest, the colors in the crest, and then trying to find universal kind of graphic elements that signify that identity".
How did the collaboration with Venezia come about?
"I left Nike at the end of January, and I heard from some representatives from Venezia and NOCTA, and just asking if I wanted to work on a special jersey for them. And I was like 'Yeah, please, I would love to'. But like every shirt that I've worked on, it starts with trying to gather the research and really try to understand the city and the club. And fortunately, Venezia has so much rich tradition and heritage".
Can you walk us through the inspirations behind this kit? Where did you start and what did you have in mind?
"Obviously, they're known for the orange and the green. And for their flag for the city, of course, this flying line of St. Mark with the eagle wings. And so I just thought, boy, that would be a great way to approach this. What inspired me was somewhat like gargoyles or done maybe like a placement of a tattoo. And so just having the facing lion snarling, just very kind of aggressive. And then of course, the beautiful red that's from the flag of Venezia and then the yellow gold highlights. And we also liked the eight pointed star as it is something you see commonly associated with the city and with the lion and St. Mark. And so that for the back. You can even see at the bottom of the shirt these bricks, which was based on a brick pattern that you see in the Gothic art architecture in the city. And so I think it just all came together, all those elements in a beautiful way. And I was very happy that they brought me into work on it. And it was one of my favorite recent projects".
Is there a club you’d love to design a kit for one day?
"There are many clubs that I didn't get an opportunity to design for. I mean, as an American, of course, it would have been amazing to work on a USA kit. Then who wouldn't want to work on a Brazil kit? Those are like the kind of holy grails. Those are like kits that would have been incredible to work on. But now, outside of Nike, I'm kind of a free agent and so, yeah, give me calls. DM me. If you want a special kit. I'm just kind of in the market to keep contributing to the world of football and having some fun. I've always had a passion for football. I play it and of course, I watch it all the time and I'm looking forward for the World Cup coming soon. I'm starting to get some projects come my way. I think the Venezia one was the first one after retiring and I've got a few other projects that I'm working but those ones would be the top ones, Brazil or the USA".
What's your all-time favorite kit? One you didn’t design yourself.
"Some of the kits they've done for PSG are just so unique and crazy. Each one is so unique and different. The Nike Design Group has been doing an amazing job with PSG. They are the longest lasting relationship with the club. On last season's Jordan kit you can see maybe where the inspiration came from with some of the Borussia Dortmund stuff we did in the 90's. So, yeah, I think PSG always has some amazing kits".
What are your thoughts on the aesthetic of Italian football?
"From the early days in the 90's, when I was starting to work on the Italian national team, I was really just trying to tap into what the national team represents with iconic looks. But also, you know, has some classy, but really bold and playful jerseys as well. We moved to kind of more of a clean, dry fit performance shirt for 1995 and 1996. But just in general, when I look at whether it's Serie A, or the national team, it's always tasteful, classy, just beautiful design for the most part. Each year, it's kind of that formula. I'm sad that Nike only had a short relationship with the national team, but it's always fun to watch each brand kind of express the Italian jersey with their designs".
