Rich Tu: Designing the FIFA World Cup Poster + Watch Party
How do you create a single image that distills the essence of two states, millions of people, and a game that belongs to the world? That is the question FIFA World Cup posters are tasked with answering every 4 years.
The Third Mind is excited to invite you into the world of Rich Tu, creative director, educator and the designer behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup Poster for NY & NJ. FIFA tasked Rich with distilling the NY/NJ identity into a single image, that will live on in history. Following our conversation with Rich, we will transition the salon into a watch party.
Our conversation will explore what gets chosen to visually represent a place, and how those choices come to define the cultural zeitgeist. That question becomes even more layered in a region shaped by immigrants. The Sampaguita flower in the poster, a nod to Rich’s Filipino heritage, stands as one reminder that immigrant communities are not outside the story of this place, but are part of its fabric.
Come join the conversation, and stay for our Watch Party for the Round of 32 World Cup Match following the talk.
It's jersey season this summer, so come in your favorite jerseys!
The Conversation
We’ll talk to Rich about what it means to work with FIFA and how he approached the challenge of translating the diversity of NY & NJ into a single image.
From there, we’ll move into a larger thread that runs through his work: how is culture defined? We’ll explore how certain visual elements come to represent a place or a moment, and how creative work shapes what people wear, follow, remember and identify with.
This is a conversation about the World Cup poster, but also about image-making, heritage, and the people who help shape culture.
Meet Rich
Rich Tu is an award-winning artist and creative in New York City. He is an Executive Creative Director & Partner at Sunday Afternoon. In addition, Rich has held creative leadership roles at Jones Knowles Ritchie, MTV Entertainment Group, and Nike Inc. He has previously won the ADC Young Guns award and recently received the prestigious Paul Manship Medallion for significant contributions to the Art Directors Club and creative industry.
Through First Generation Burden, his podcast centering immigrants and third-culture creatives, Rich has also created a space for people often defined from the outside to tell their stories in their own words.
Programme
7:15 – 8:00 PM
Arrive and get comfortable
8:00 – 8:45 PM
Conversation with Rich Tu
8:45 – 9:00 PM
Audience Q&A
9:00 – 11:00 PM
Salon & Watch Party
Practical Details
Date: Tuesday, June 30th, 2026
Time: 7:30 - 11:00pm
Ticket Purchase Required: Limited capacity — reserve your ticket early! NO tickets will be sold at the door for this event.
Disclaimer: By attending this event, you consent to being photographed and recorded. Images and video may be used by The Third Mind for marketing, promotional, and archival purposes across digital and print channels. You also consent to receiving marketing communications from us in the future, which you may unsubscribe from at any time. All ticket sales are final.