Meet The Yorkshire Designer of the Official FIFA World Cup Scarves
Otley-based creative agency Hand Drawn Pixels have designed nearly 200 scarves as official merchandise for the FIFA World Cup
Football’s coming home… and even if it’s not, it’s nice to know Yorkshire has played a big part in the tournament, in the form of official scarves, and not just Barnsley-born John Stones’s defending. Until Sunday 19th July, across the USA, Canada and Mexico, 48 teams are competing in a total of 104 matches – so this is the biggest World Cup ever. Having already played against Croatia and Ghana, England will play Panama on 27th June. Supporters are always keen to get their hands on merchandise and the FIFA World Cup 2026 'We Are' England Scarf sold out on the FIFA Store prior to these three games.
Graphic designer, creative director, and lifelong Sheffield United supporter, Tom Pitts has a passion for sport, branding and storytelling, and celebrates all of that in his designs. ‘My career has involved working across a wide range of sectors, but I've always been particularly drawn to projects that connect people through shared experiences,’ he says, ‘whether that's through sport, culture or community.’
He founded Hand Drawn Pixels to help brands and organisations to create meaningful visual identities and products that resonate with their audiences. ‘The aim has always been to combine strategic thinking with creativity,’ he continues, ‘helping clients tell their stories in a way that feels authentic and memorable.’
Tom has worked on a wide range of projects and his highlights include designing for The Piece Hall’s summer gigs for the past four years, and imagery for Joe & The Juice’s flagship stores in London and Copenhagen. But, he says, the FIFA World Cup scarf collection is certainly one of the most exciting recent projects because of its global reach and cultural significance.
Global Scarves (whose UK office is also based in Otley) had the license to produce scarves for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and they reached out to Tom to ask if he’d like to work on the official merchandise. ‘I've worked with Global Scarves on a number of projects and have always admired their commitment to quality through their product,’ says Tom. ‘When the opportunity arose to work on a FIFA World Cup collection, it felt like a natural fit given our shared passion for sport and creating products that fans genuinely connect with.’
The initial brief was to create a collection of scarves for the host nations: USA, Canada and Mexico, as well as the host cities, working within the FIFA World Cup brand guidelines. But, it quickly became apparent that the participating nations each deserved their own unique identity and story. So Hand Drawn Pixels developed their own creative brief to produce a wider collection for every participating nation.
‘The process began with extensive research into each nation, looking at culture, heritage, symbolism, colours, kits and visual references that supporters would instantly recognise,’ says Tom. ‘From there, concepts were developed and refined, balancing tradition with contemporary design. Each scarf went through multiple iterations to ensure the final designs worked both aesthetically and as collectible pieces for fans.’
Research was a key part of the project, and with this year’s FIFA World Cup being the largest and most ambitious tournament in the competition's history with a record 48 teams and a 104 matches, it’s reaching a truly global audience, so the focus was on representing each individual nation.
’We explored national symbols, historical references, architecture, art, sporting culture and traditional patterns,’ Tom adds. ‘The challenge was finding meaningful references that represented each nation respectfully and authentically while remaining visually striking within the format of a scarf. The key was avoiding a one size fits all approach. Each country has its own story, history and visual language. We incorporated distinctive colours, motifs and references that reflected those differences while maintaining a consistent design framework across the collection. This allowed every scarf to feel individual while still belonging to the wider FIFA World Cup series.’
Now the unique designs will be seen across North America and Europe, and are for sale at fan festivals, stadium shops and the FIFA store. The pitch-side designs all started out with a pencil – an initial sketch which was then transferred onto a screen. It was all about finding a happy medium between a good, ambitious design and what could physically woven well. The scarves are made with a mix of acrylic and polyester, to be worn or held up high when your team scores. Tom says it has been a real privilege to be involved in this project. As if the mission wasn’t big enough already, the team have also taken on the challenge of producing official match day scarves, delivered in time for every knockout game as it happens.
‘The FIFA World Cup is one of the most recognised sporting events in the world, bringing together people from every corner of the globe,’ Tom says. ‘To contribute creatively to something associated with that level of passion and excitement is incredibly rewarding.’
Like millions of fans around the world, Tom is of course tuning into the World Cup too. ‘I'll be following the tournament closely,’ he says. ‘The World Cup always creates unforgettable moments, and having worked on a project connected to it will make this edition particularly special.’
