Mikasa WP550C & WP440C game balls

Japanese brand Mikasa has revamped the graphic design of its classic water polo product. They invited us to create design ideas for the revamped ball. The client wanted a vibrant and colourful look for their product, preferably with a Japanese style motif. They wanted a complete departure from the previous design in order to boost sales and appeal to young players. It was also important for the ball to be clearly visible in water, in a lit pool, or on TV screens.

The final stage of the tender involved testing the winning prototypes with several water polo teams to see how they would perform in use. They tested it to ensure that it would not be distracting when rotating and that it would look more dynamic in photos during shooting than the previous one. The ball was unveiled by Mikasa at the 2022 Fina World Cup in Budapest as the official ball of the 2023 Fina World Cup.