Nike Trail: SOAR
BRIEF:
Ultra-marathoners need to meet individual goals of mind over matter, and they need shoes that can endure the gruelling challenges they face while providing maximum support and comfort when running distances over 42 kilometres on terrain ranging from mountains to dust. Nike’s running selection is currently somewhat lacking in shoes made for rough terrain so as a group of four, we divided trail running shoes into categories—light trail, rugged trail, off-trail, and blue sky—with the goal of designing a full line of trail running shoes.
TEAM:
Clarissa Martins, Yasmin Sirton, Birk Zukowsky, Naji Kaddoura
Inspiration
We began by working together to gather inspiration and develop a set of mood and research boards to guide the designs and help ensure a cohesive look between each of our individual concepts. Our design direction focused on incorporating technology like 3D printing and integrating synthetic biomimicry to create a shoe that is lighter, stronger, and customizable to each user while visually representing the act of conquering the trail.
Process
After working through rough thumbnail sketches and initial ideation, we began the process of iterating through scale marker sketches. We presented these sketches to industry experts for feedback and settled on final concepts as a team. I then reviewed and finalised my design in Procreate before moving to Illustrator and finally, testing my skills by modelling my design in SolidWorks and rendering with KeyShot.
Final Design
The final design combines the overall running silhouette that Nike is known for with the addition of a thicker sole and longer lugs to give trail running functionality. It features a mountain-inspired aesthetic and layering of material brought over from our inspiration boards. This shoe is meant to be mid-range, so I chose to include all of our chosen colours in relatively equal amounts to blend the light and heavy shoes in the line. The darker sole and outsole gives the appearance of more stability and lowers the risk of staining or damage from use.
