Ignite, AE Live’s Auckland based in-house creative design agency, has delivered a unique design package for the Rugby World Cup France 2023 world feed, which started with its opening match on Friday the 8th September in Paris, with the All Blacks taking on the host nation, France.

Having already created the design package for Japan 2019, AE Live Ignite was chosen to design the titles and match graphics for a second time for France 2023, after a long and competitive global pitch.

The design package boasts a surprisingly playful title sequence, and an innovative match graphic system that allows for all data to be played live during the tournament.

The title sequence tells the story of the host nation passing the ball across France, and lends a quirky, European and timeless feel to the proceedings. This is the story of the spectators and host nation connecting across France with the game itself.

Ignite wrote, designed and implemented the title sequence, working closely with Brazilian animation house, Factory. Factory was chosen for its strength in quirky character design and contemporary style.

The thirty-five second titles sequence featured over twenty characters across nine locations in a fast-paced celebration of the sport, designed to appeal to a new and younger Rugby audience. Music was composed by local Auckland company, Ned Music, giving the titles a French EDM style, structured around a sampled accordion sound.

The red brand mnemonic, known as the ‘mobius line’, features throughout all of the tournament’s marketing collateral, and Ignite placed it front and centre in both the title sequence and match graphic designs.

Match graphics were given a contemporary twist, with the red mobius being used to navigate the eye-to-screen information. Ignite creatively directed the expressive player photography to add personality and variety to the participating team visuals.

According to Reuben Thorpe, Senior Creative Director at Ignite: “We were thrilled to work with World Rugby for a second time on this prestigious tournament. Central to our design principle was the idea that, since the fans were going to watch anyway, we wanted the package in its entirety to appeal to a broader, younger and more global audience. We were excited when World Rugby encouraged us to present Rugby in a more playful, innovative and celebratory way.”

Steve Jamieson, Executive Producer TV & Live Content at World Rugby said: “We are delighted with Ignite’s unique design package for the Rugby World Cup France 2023 world feed. We predict this world cup will be the biggest and best yet, and we look forward to engaging with new and current fans around the world.”

Ignite was purchased by AE Live, a world-leading global provider of data and broadcast solutions, in 2020. Along with the Rugby World Cup, AE Live’s impressive portfolio also includes (amongst many others) Premier League Productions, BBC, ITV, Sky Sports, WTA Tennis and Fox Sports.

In July 2023, AE Live announced the acquisition of Silver Spoon, the industry experts in innovative, real time virtual production content on Unreal Engine. They join Ignite in the AE Live Group.