Converse Basketball Shoe Concept
California recently passed the ‘Fair Pay to Play Act’ which allows college athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness. This act will incentivize incoming high school athletes to consider playing sports at California schools and potentially take their first steps toward a career. This unfair recruiting advantage will cause many states to sign similar acts into law in the near future. These changes in college sports will change the definition of what it means to be an amateur athlete and put forth more opportunities for the high school athlete in particular.
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash
Amateur
With the popularity of social media and highlight videos gathering millions of views per game, amateur athletes have a lot of eyes on them at all times. How might we create a great basketball shoe that is easily recognizable from anywhere on the court or online, that catches the eyes of players and viewers? In 2022, Converse will celebrate its 100th year of heritage in creating basketball shoes, and could lend its expertise to the next generation of players. So what kind of problems would this ‘early basketball shoe’ need to solve for the amateur athlete?
Photo by William Topa on Unsplash
Opportunities
Durable
Unlike pros, and some college athletes, amateurs aren’t able to wear a new pair of shoes every game, and would be looking to get full seasons out of one pair of shoes. Parents of this level of athlete are probably the ones providing the shoes at this point and would also be looking to get the most out of their money. By making the shoe out of a durable material, Converse is ensuring a happier athlete for a longer amount of time.
Recognizable
With some high school basketball players getting millions of views on their highlight videos, there are a lot of people looking at what these players have ‘on feet’. By utilizing color blocking and developing a strong silhouette, the shoes would stand out in the quick cut nature of these types of videos. Here I took the general shape and outline of the classic Chuck, and tried to find a pattern of color blocking that would stand out from a distance.
Customizable
The NBA has recently become more lax in their rules on wearing customized sneakers in game, and some players commission artists to create customs for them. This shoe can allow for that creativity and expression by having a designated part of the shoe for writing on, coloring in or other type of customization.
Ideation
My main goal with this ideation, was to figure out how I could incorporate the color blocking to best fit the style of the shoe I was going for. Essentially trying to find the most eye-catching pattern.
With a strap system that references the Converse logo, a customizable heel cap that also provides stability, and a simple color blocking system that can be used to fit any color scheme, my concept addresses the needs I identified.