Adam Spangler is about as passionate about soccer as I’ve ever known anyone to be about anything. Spend two minutes reading his Nike-sponsored blog — titled simply “This is American Soccer” — and it becomes evident just how serious a topic this is for him. But look past his stern commitment to the sport’s legitimacy here in the states, and you’ll find an almost childlike fascination with the culture that’s spawned around soccer in a country where it’s supposedly unpopular; Adam conducts interviews, writes epic essays, and posts fantastic photos with an undeniable excitement that makes for an incredibly readable blog, regardless of whether you’re a big soccer fan or not. Heck, he might even make you a fan.
TIAS was a challenge because it needed to feel like more than a simple sports blog. It needed to reflect not only soccer but also the culture around the sport, as well the author himself (it could be argued that TIAS is equally a study of all three). After missing the mark a few times, we landed on a look that straddled the line between beautiful and chaotic, while remaining very readable and engaging. Reclaimed wood (which Adam had a particular affinity for), large photo space, sleek elements mixed with light weathering effects. The overall effect is one of an extremely well-crafted piece of equipment that has seen years of use, but is only better for it.
In addition to the blog’s design, we worked out a neat little logo mark that plays on the American soccer idea; A star constructed from five pentagons that evoke a soccer ball. Fun right?
Nekai.net is my blog.
Below, you'll find a hauntingly realistic portrait of my visage; that's right, cartoon Jeff in all his glory. Coming soon: Personal statistics! Things like height, weight, and allergy information. Fun.
Welcome
Nekai.net is the online home of Portland, Oregon based web designer Jeff Reynolds. My largely unfounded opinions are to the left. While you're here, feel free to take a look at my portfolio, peruse some older posts in the archive, or just drop me a line.
When you're finished here, head over to We the Media, where I'm co-founder and creative director.
The Small Stuff
- Placehold.it
Simple little placeholder image generator. Plugs right into your HTML. Fun fun. - TunesTEXT Lyrics widget
As far as I've been able to find, this is the best iTunes lyrics dashboard widget. - Showcase TiVo Dashboard Widget
Against all odds, this widget actually seems to work; Download clean, DRM-free HD videos off a tivo. Finally.