REEBOK IVERSONICS, basketball shoe design process: part 3 - design brief

Considering all the previous preliminary work and the researches done to get technical and aesthetic inspirations, it’s time to write down a few guidelines in order to synthetize the informations taken and define the targets and the constraints of this shoe design project.

Being this one a free time project, most of the phases will be made in a relaxed, lo-fi mode, allowing me to show some behind the scene material.

Text and sketches are handmade with a 2B Staedler pencil on a slightly rough paper, which is always a good feel, I won’t spend more time to remaster them into a digital presentation. If you want to check a sample of a concept digital presentation, have a look at my Bean UNO shoe concept.

Anyway, there will be time to have a look at some cool digital work during final concepts presentation.

Quick design brief for the Iversonic shoe project

Looking at the athletic skills of Allen Iverson, the first feature the shoe has to reflect is his dynamism and quickness; then, you can also see listed all the features new product should carry over.

Speaking of signature products, I believe that the lifestyle appeal for an athletic shoe doesn’t come from following street culture or fashion trends but, instead, it comes when the product style aligns with the greatness of the athlete (athletic skills, aura, leadership, style of play, etc), eventually taking cue from his character, history and personal tastes.

Performance features breakdown

In order to provide a performance inspired look, the study of the tooling, its geometry and overall stance are the focal point of this project.

The picture above shows some of the features that will be studied to provide adequate levels of functionality and the desired consistency with this project theme.

Even though this is personal project, without any company endorsement, some features such as forefoot/heel ride height (and, consequntly the midsole drop) and a upper last have been defined to be sure that the final result will a be manufacturing ready design and not just an unwearable sculptural concept.

Upper design early ideas

Just like the tooling, a few ideas have been written down and sketched for the upper design, in particular to be sure it will be a combination of new and traditional material to provide the best level of flexibility, support, resistence and breathability.

As a sample idea I’ve used Maybach cars seats, where the paneling is perfectly studied to have best functionality, also in a rich, luxurious package.

Pattern and branding ideas

Looking at Iverson’s signature line, his branding has been a bit inconsistent along the years, plus, being Iversonics line a new category, it’s necessary to find a new logo and new pattern to be consistent with this new project.

If you are interested to see how how all the preparatory work will be carried over and also to finally see some shoe designs, stay tuned for part 4!