REEBOK IVERSONICS, lo-fi basketball shoe design process: part 1 - project name

Sometimes our projects proceed with a codename, until the final name is decided just at the end, sometimes it’s done during the process. In this case, project name was clear just from the beginning.

Supersonic waves image, from Rob Hipschman video

Even in the past, thinking about a potential shoe for Allen Iverson, a possible shoe name I’ve played with was “Iversonic”.

First of all, it is just a two letter addition to Allen’s surname, also resulting in a personal hint to the player.

Second, it has a powerful assonance with the word “hypersonic”; if you are not familiar with physics or jet airplanes, it’s referred to an object capable to reach a speed multiple times faster than the speed of sound. Airplanes breaking the sound speed barrier generate powerful shock waves that result in the so called “sonic boom”, a thunder like sound, which creates stress and discomfort to humans and animals (i.e. hens stop making eggs…) but it also causes damages to buildings; for these reasons, sopersonic flight is currently banned above 99% of earth’s continents.

If you think about Iverson’s game, his speed and his quickness in change of direction, start and stops and shot release are still a benchmark, even in today’s game, and, usually, those skills left his opponents in a state of shock, similar to a sonic boom :)

The name has been finally completed in “Iversonics” to make it even more personal, also meaning that these new shoes will bring their future owners into an exclusive club of mindblowing quick and exciting athletes.

The references to speed, jet airplanes and aerodynamics will also be carried over as inspirations for the design phases.

Stay tuned for part 2!