A groundbreaking font project has emerged from an unexpected source: virtual soccer field markings in the FIFA video game. The Slide Tackle Font, created by Colombian creative duo Los Crises, transforms the chaotic marks left by players' slide tackles into a readable typeface that captures the raw energy of one of soccer's most high-risk, high-reward moves.
The idea for this innovative typography project came about completely by accident. Copywriter Cristian Burgos and art director Christian Hurtado, the creative minds behind Los Crises, were casually playing FIFA one evening when they noticed something interesting about their virtual playing field. "We spotted odd marks across their virtual field, the remnants of players' paths on the pitch and we thought: hey, those weird shapes could be something – what if we made a typeface out of them?" recalls Cristian.
Following this lightbulb moment, the pair dedicated countless nights to their unusual research process. They would play FIFA, pausing the game at strategic moments to capture screenshots of slide tackle marks scattered across the digital pitch. Their approach was methodical yet playful – they deliberately selected match players known for their aggressive tackling styles to create the most dynamic letterforms possible.
"We went with football's most notorious slide tacklers – Pepe, Ramos, Materazzi, Suárez and Bedoya, the red card king," explains Christian. "We wanted each letter to feel unique, so we had to get pretty inventive (and commit a lot of virtual fouls) to get the shapes right."
The process of transforming these accidental marks into a functional alphabet presented significant challenges. "The hardest part for the pair was turning these somewhat accidental marks into something that actually reads as an alphabet," the creators explain. "The process was messy in the best way," shares Cristian. "We'd bring those images into Illustrator and challenge ourselves to shape each unique scuff into part of a letterset."
The development process involved extensive trial and error. Many slide tackle shapes didn't make it into the final lineup, with the duo making strategic substitutions for more legible A's or more dynamic C's. "There was, inevitably, a lot of trial and error in this technique and a lot of the slide tackle shapes got benched in the final line-up, with swaps for more legible As or more dynamic Cs," they note. "We wanted the final set to keep that sense of energy and randomness you get from real tackles – not something too polished," says Christian.
Once they completed the full letterset with all necessary refinements, Los Crises developed a comprehensive campaign for the typeface within the game environment. This included wiggly words printed across team kits and merchandise, showcasing the font's versatility and soccer-themed origins.
True to their philosophy of creative accessibility, the pair released the Slide Tackle Font as a completely open-source project. Football fans and designers from around the world have embraced the typeface for their own projects. "It never gets old seeing something you made pop up somewhere unexpected," Cristian shares. "Each share feels like a tiny win."
The Colombia and Mexico-based design duo brings over a decade of advertising experience to their creative endeavors. "Always learning, always curious, and still a bit amazed every time someone recognizes our work," Cristian says about their professional journey. For Los Crises, maintaining free access to personal projects like the Slide Tackle Font is a core principle.
"It's important that personal projects that happen on the side like these remain free and accessible to all because, let's face it, the best things in life usually are," says Christian. "We just wanted people to download it instantly, no hoops. We believe that creative growth comes from sharing, not gatekeeping. Good things tend to find their way back to you when you put them out there with no strings attached."
The project represents a broader philosophy about creative work and community engagement. By making their font freely available without restrictions, Los Crises demonstrates how personal creative projects can contribute to the wider design community while maintaining the playful spirit that inspired their creation.
Looking toward future projects, the duo remains committed to their experimental approach. "We'll probably still be playing FC (and still getting red cards), and we're always daydreaming about weird new side projects," Christian concludes. "We don't have a big master plan, we just hope that if we keep having fun, good things will keep coming."
The Slide Tackle Font is available for free download through the Los Crises website, continuing the duo's commitment to open-source creative resources. The project stands as a testament to how inspiration can strike from the most unexpected sources, transforming a casual gaming session into an innovative typography project that bridges the worlds of sports, gaming, and graphic design.
This unique font captures not just the visual chaos of slide tackles, but also the unpredictable, high-energy nature of soccer itself. Each letter maintains the organic, somewhat chaotic quality of the original pitch marks while remaining functional as readable text. The project demonstrates how digital gaming environments can serve as unexpected sources of creative inspiration, turning virtual athletic movements into tangible design assets.
The success of the Slide Tackle Font highlights the growing trend of designers finding inspiration in unconventional sources, particularly within digital and gaming environments. It also reflects the increasing importance of open-source creative resources in fostering community engagement and collaborative design practices.
