Chelsea Third Shirt for 2012-13 Season: Futuristic Design Is Out Of This World [PHOTO]

If HR Giger designed a football shirt, this is what it would look like.

Unveiled today, Chelsea’s third shirt for next season looks futuristic, like something you would expect to see worn in a science fiction film. The black third kit with yellow trim is one thing. But the detail on the chest with the yellow lines pointing inwards is something I’ve never seen before. The futuristic design breaks all notions of contemporary football shirt aesthetics. Out goes the symmetric lines and predictable look-and-feel, and in comes a completely new way of thinking about a football shirt design.

Adidas and Chelsea deserve to be congratulated for trying something completely different. If you’re going to experiment with designs, why not do it with a club’s third shirt instead of creating a variation of something you’ve seen a hundred times before?

As with new designs, this is one I would like to see in-person and on a footballer before making my final verdict on the shirt design. But so far, the design ticks all the right boxes.

Interestingly, according to the Chelsea press release, “The striking sun graphic on the front of the black shirt creates a contrast in colours, giving the impression of power, while the fade in the graphic represents speed. The Chelsea badge is black and white and stands out against the sun graphic.” I see the speed and power in the design, but to me, the shirt is much more than a simple sun graphic. If anything, that description belittles the shirt design. It’s much more deeper than that.

Chelsea’s new third shirt will be available to buy beginning August 9.

What are your thoughts regarding Chelsea’s new outlandish design? Love it or hate it? Tell us why in the comments section below.