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TEAM UNDER ARMOUR
Roster: Jonathan Guisbert, Ako Xiang, Satoshi Sutoh, Seth Peterson (CMF)
[Exhales] Ouch, my brain hurts today…I have never thought so much about designing a sneaker without sketching before. Today was heavy research day and getting close to finalizing our design briefs. We spent the morning discussing habits of successful people, not just in design, but professionals in general. Lots to keep in mind going forward such as: spend time with motivational people and measure and track your progress. Focus on making small, continuous improvements…that was a good one to remember, too. After that, I was swimming in a sea of Google searches and flipping through different footwear construction books to find the facts that will support my design brief. I learned how important it is to throw away my individual opinions about what a product should be and let the consumer and facts define that. Sounds kind of obvious, but it’s surprising how often designers may fall into the trap of carrying their personal opinions into the design process.
I used this model to study the anatomy of the foot while thinking of how to design my sneaker specifically for women. A few things I have to keep in mind are that the female foot generally has a higher arch, smaller heel and ball of foot, but a slightly wider toe area and bigger medial and lateral malleoli (ankle bones…learned that term today!)
My work area got messier as the day went on! It’s only day 4, but my notepad is already half-way full. The research process is fun, but sometimes frustrating, especially when you’re trying to do something new or use materials in a new way that hasn’t really been done before, or sometimes you think something hasn’t been done before and you find out it has, that’s kind of a bummer, but you have to keep moving and think of new ways to innovate.
This piece of inspiration got me really excited. It’s the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. Through my research, I found a really interesting quote from Tom-Wills Wright, the building’s architect. Tom said, “If you can draw a building with a few sweeps of the pen and everyone recognizes not only the structure but also associates it with a place on Earth, you have gone a long way towards creating something iconic.” I think the same can be applied to footwear, where simplicity is a common theme in classic or timeless sneakers. For example, Converse’s Chuck Taylor, the Air Jordan 1, Nike’s Air Force 1, and adidas’ Superstar…all are classic in their own right, and ultimately were really simple designs.
-Jonathan Guisbert
