Asics Ayami running shoe collection: developing a creative platform

Development of the creative direction for the AYAMi collection of women’s performance footwear AW 2012.

Brands like Asics with highly specialized in-house design teams can benefit from external creative input to boost inspiration and stimulate design innovation. To this end Joanna created a provocative story using words, images and conceptual drawings with suggestive details.

Development of the creative direction for the AYAMi collection of women’s performance footwear AW 2012.

Brands like Asics with highly specialized in-house design teams can benefit from external creative input to boost inspiration and stimulate design innovation. To this end Joanna created a provocative story using words, images and conceptual drawings with suggestive details.

This story served as a guide for the ASICS footwear designers in Japan and a design check for the European ASICS team of marketeers and colour/materials specialists. It was important to provide open-ended inspiration that the Asics designers could build upon and make their own.

A number of creative sparks emerged, such as a ‘bold heel delivery’, ‘dynamic layering’ and ‘fluid lines’. These ideas helped give shape to the collection of 7 models for the season but also formed a foundation for designs for years to come. Even a new asymmetrical model called  ‘Courage’ was developed, shown here with an original new lacing concept; a star-burst pattern with lucky charms, designed by Joanna.

Asics shoe design by Joanna Boothman

This project for Asics involved

Research and exploration of patterns and materials, creating new ideas for the applications of patterns on the shoes

Ideation sketching, creation of various design directions. Fine-tuning the design directions into one clear proposition

Evaluating the resulting shoe designs based on this proposition, together with the European ASICS team

Choosing the best shoe designs and material combinations for production together with the European ASICS team of performance footware experts and colour/materials specialists

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